Bolsonaro supporters storm government and courthouses - Lula calls attackers "fascist vandals"

Created: 01/09/2023 07:02

By: Markus Hofstetter

A week after left-wing politician Lula took office, hatred of the new government broke out.

Supporters of right-wing ex-President Bolsonaro are wreaking havoc in the Brazilian capital.  

Brasília - The scenes are reminiscent of the events in Washington on January 6, 2021. Radical supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed the government district in the Brazilian capital Brasília on Sunday and briefly took control of the control centers of the country's most important state authorities.

They entered the National Congress, the Supreme Court and the government seat, the Palácio do Planalto, and rioted in boardrooms and offices.

Storming of government building in Brasília: Lula calls attackers "fascist vandals"

Hours after the riots began, security forces regained most of the situation in Brasília's government district.

Justice Minister Flavio Dino told journalists on Sunday evening that the three buildings that had been stormed had been completely cleared.

According to Dino, more than 200 people were arrested.

After the storm, Bolsonaro's successor Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva assessed the damage in Brasília.

President Lula, who was in the southeastern city of Araraquara, which was devastated by floods in 2022, at the time of the attack, called the attack "unprecedented in Brazilian history."

The donors behind the protests would pay for the "irresponsible and undemocratic acts".

He called the attackers “fascist vandals”.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil, inspects the damage at the Planalto Palace.

© Eraldo Peres/dpa/picture alliance

Storming of government buildings in Brasília: Lula's predecessor Bolsonaro condemns the attack

Bolsonaro, who flew to the US before Lula took office, condemned the attack.

"Rooting and entering public buildings, as happened today," violates the "rule" for "peaceful demonstrations," Bolsonaro tweeted hours after the riots began.

He himself, however, defends himself against President Lula's "unproven allegations".

Lula previously accused Bolsonaro of "encouraging" the attackers.

Jair Bolsonaro: From Paratrooper to Brazilian President

View photo gallery

Storming of government buildings in Brasília: Police officers present seemed overwhelmed

The governor of the capital's Brasilia district, Ibaneis Rocha, fired the capital's security chief, Anderson Torres, who previously served as Bolsonaro's justice minister.

The attorney general's office said it was asking the Supreme Court to issue arrest warrants for Torres and all other officials responsible for "acts and omissions" that led to the riots.

also read

Putin's new miracle weapon: the "Zirkon" hypersonic missile as a nightmare for military strategists?

TO READ

Will it come back, like after New Year's Eve in Cologne?

After Berlin's New Year's chaos, the SPD has a bad deja vu

TO READ

Ukraine claims: Russians shoot their own soldiers - because they wanted to surrender

TO READ

Ukraine expects more explosions in Russia – Explosive report on CIA involvement

TO READ

“Sabotage”: Gas pipeline explodes in Russian-occupied territory – is Ukraine turning the tables?

TO READ

Fancy a voyage of discovery?

My space

The police initially seemed completely overwhelmed by the attacks by Bolsonaro supporters.

These had overcome police barriers and were pushed into the congress building, as could be seen in videos distributed on online networks.

They smashed doors and windows and then poured into the building in large numbers.

Reactions to events in Brasília: Biden calls attack 'outrageous'

The incidents in Brasília caused outrage internationally.

US President Joe Biden called the attack on Sunday (local time) "outrageous".

EU Council President Charles Michel wrote on Twitter that he condemned the attack on "Brazil's democratic institutions in the strongest possible terms".

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the EU condemned the anti-democratic acts of violence in the heart of Brasília's government district.

Supporters of former Brazilian President Bolsonaro storm the Palacio do Planalto, the official residence of the Brazilian President.

© Eraldo Peres/dpa/picture alliance

German Development Secretary Niels Annen (SPD) tweeted in English that it was “incredible to see the fascists attacking the Brazilian capital”.

The international community will rally behind President Lula and the "democratic institutions of Brazil".

French President Emmanuel Macron and the heads of state of Mexico and Argentina, Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Alberto Fernandez, also expressed harsh words of condemnation.

Attack on government and court buildings in Brazil: The damage is considerable

The damage to the Congress building, the Presidential Palace and the Supreme Court appears to be extensive.

The buildings are considered icons of modern architecture and contain numerous works of art.

Among other things, photos published on online networks showed that a painting by artist Emiliano Cavalcanti exhibited in the Presidential Palace had several holes.

The radical Bolsonaro supporters who attacked the government district do not recognize the election victory of left-wing President Lula, who has been in office since the beginning of the year.

After Bolsonaro's election defeat, they had already demonstrated in front of military barracks and blocked main traffic arteries.

They called for the army to intervene to prevent Lula's third term in office.