Brazil authorities seek to punish pro-Bolsonaro rioters
Brazilian authorities were investigating Monday’s incident after ex-President Jair Bolsonaro’s supporters invaded Congress, the Supreme Court, and the presidential palace. They then destroyed the nation’s highest power seats.
Protesters wanted military intervention to restore Bolsonaro’s far-right power or to oust Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, the leftist newly elected to office. The scenes were chaotic and destructive in a manner that was reminiscent of the Jan. 6, 20,21 insurrection at U.S. Capitol.
On Sunday, the yellow and green national flag-wearing rioters toppled windows and hurled printers and computers to the ground. They broke through a huge Emiliano Di Cavalcanti painting at five points, overturned the U-shaped table where Supreme Court justices meet, tore a door off of one justice’s office, and vandalized an emblem outside the court. The interiors of the massive buildings were left in ruins.
Late Sunday’s news conference in Brazil was addressed by the minister of institutional relations. He stated that buildings would be inspected to find evidence, including images and fingerprints, to hold people accountable. The rioters were apparently trying to ignite similar actions across the country. Flavio Dino, Justice Minister, said that the acts were terroristic and coup-mongering. Authorities have started tracking down those who paid for the buses transporting protesters to the capital.
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They will not be able to destroy Brazil’s democracy. Dino stated that we must state this clearly, with all firmness as well as conviction. “We won’t accept criminality in order to fight political battles in Brazil. A criminal is treated as a criminal.”
According to the Federal District’s Civil Police, 300 people were arrested so far.
Brazil was at the edge of its own power in the months following Bolsonaro’s Oct. 30 electoral loss. Bolsonaro was inciting suspicion among his supporters that the electronic voting system was susceptible to fraud, but he never presented any evidence. His lawmaker son Eduardo Bolsonaro met with Trump’s long-time ally Steve Bannon, and Jason Miller, his senior campaign advisor.
The results of Brazil’s election, the closest in more than three decades, were quickly recognized by politicians from all political stripes, including Bolsonaro allies and dozens upon dozens of governments. Bolsonaro quickly disappeared from public view, surprising almost everyone. Bolsonaro did not concede defeat or cry fraud. However, he and his party filed a request for nullification of millions of votes which was quickly rejected.
Since 1996, electronic voting has been used in Brazil. Because they do not leave a paper trail that can be audited, election security experts consider electronic voting less secure than hand-marked paper ballots. Brazil’s system has been closely monitored and both domestic and international observers have not found any evidence that it was being used to commit fraud.
Bolsonaro’s supporters refused, however. They blocked roads, and occupied military buildings to call for the intervention of the armed forces. Although protests were peaceful, security concerns were raised by isolated threats to terrorism. For example, a bomb was found on a fuel truck heading to Brasilia’s Airport.
Bolsonaro, who was in Orlando for temporary housing just two days before Lula’s January 1 inauguration, flew to the U.S. Many Brazilians were relieved that Bolsonaro, although he refused to take part in the transfer of power, his absence enabled it to happen without any problems.
It was so, up to Sunday’s chaos.
Bolsonarism is a copy of Trumpism’s strategies. Paulo Calmon from the University of Brasilia, a political scientist and professor of political science, said that Jan. 8 was a rare manifestation of Brazilian politics. “Today’s sad events are yet another attempt at destabilizing democracy and show that the populist, authoritarian radicalism of Brazil’s extremist right continues to be active under the command ex-President Bolsonaro, the “Trump of Latin America.”
U.S. President Joe Biden said that the Riots were an “assault upon democracy and peaceful transfer of power to Brazil” and that he was looking forward to continuing working with Lula.
Lula, a Sao Paulo state official, read out a newly signed decree directing the federal government to take control of security in the Federal District. Bolsonaro was accused of supporting their uprising and he said the “fascist fanatics” must be punished.
Late Sunday, Bolsonaro denied the accusation of the president. Bolsonaro wrote on Twitter that peaceful protest is part democracy but vandalism or invasion of public buildings were “exceptions to rule”. He did not mention the actions of protesters in Brasilia.
Mario Sergio Lima (political analyst at Medley Advisors) stated that “He is evidently intellectual mentor of what’s happening, so he can’t dissociate from it.” These groups were created by him and the radicalism that he inflicted on politics. It is impossible to reverse that. His group appears to have already crossed the Rubicon.”
Contrary to the attack on the U.S. in 2021, very few officials would have worked in top government buildings on Sundays. Videos showed a very low presence of the capital’s military officers. Many Brazilians wondered if the police ignored warnings, underestimated their capabilities or were complicit.
One video showed protesters pushing past a police barricade, with very little struggle and only a few officers using pepper spray. Another video showed officers standing by while protesters storm Congress. One officer even recorded images from his phone.
“This was a gross mistake by the federal district government. It was a tragedy that had been predicted,” Thiago de Aagao, director strategy at Brasilia-based political consultancy Arko Advice said. “Everyone knew that they (the protesters were coming to Brasilia). It was expected that the federal district’s government would mount a response in order to protect the capital. They didn’t do anything about it.”
Lula stated at his news conference that there was “incompetence” or “bad faith” by police and promised that some would be punished.
Federal District Gov. Ibaneis Rocha confirmed via Twitter that he fired Anderson Torres, the head of security in the capital. Local media reported that Torres was in Orlando on vacation and denied meeting with Bolsonaro.
“Two Years since Jan. 6 Trump’s Legacy continues to poison our planet,” U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (who chairs the Senate’s foreign affairs committee) tweeted. He also said that Bolsonaro was responsible for inciting the crisis.
