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9 mins ago
Brazilian Supreme Court orders demolition of pro-Bolsonaro camps and arrest of protesters
By Rodrigo Pedroso
Alexandre de Moraes during a ceremony at the Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE) on December 12, 2022. (Claudio Reis/Ag. Enquadrar/Sipa/AP)
Brazil's Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the military to dismantle all camps of Bolsonaro supporters across the country within 24 hours and told police to arrest protesters still on the streets, according to a court order.
"Absolutely nothing justifies the existence of camps full of terrorists, sponsored by various financiers and with the complacency of civil and military authorities in total subversion of the necessary respect for the Federal Constitution," says the order.
At least 400 people have been arrested after supporters of former Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro stormed key government buildings in Brasilia on Sunday, according to Brazilian authorities.
Bolsonaro's supporters had camped out in the capital since his defeat in October's presidential election.
Commanders of the armed forces, police and the defense minister will be held accountable in court if the camps are not dismantled, Moraes said, adding that all the country's roads must be cleared by Monday.
17 mins ago
Governor of the Federal District of Brazil is temporarily removed from office, says the Supreme Court
By Marcia Reverdosa and Teele Rebane
Governor Ibaneis Rocha visits the Sao Sebastiao neighborhood in Brasilia on April 5, 2021. (Mateus Bonomi/AGIF/AP)
A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has ordered the governor of the country's Federal District to temporarily step down following riots in Brasilia on Sunday.
Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes handed down a three-month suspension to Federal District Governor Ibaneis Rocha, according to the Supreme Court.
This comes after supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed government buildings in the capital.
Earlier, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said that "the lack of security" had allowed Bolsonaro's supporters to break through the barriers set up by the Armed Forces outside the three branches of government.
22 mins ago
Lula da Silva visits the Presidential Palace and the Supreme Court after the riots
By Marcia Reverdosa
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visits the Planalto Palace in Brasilia on Sunday.
(Eraldo Perez/AP)
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Sunday he was at the Planalto Presidential Palace and the Supreme Court in Brasilia after supporters of his rival Jair Bolsonaro stormed government buildings.
“The coup leaders who promoted the destruction of public property in Brasilia are being identified and will be punished,” Lula da Silva posted on Facebook.
"Tomorrow we resume work at the Planalto Palace. Always Democracy. Good night."
Earlier, Lula described the events in the capital as "barbaric" and said that "the lack of security" had allowed Bolsonaro's "fascist" supporters to break through the barriers set up by the Armed Forces outside the three branches of government.
“These people are everything that is abominable in politics,” he told a news conference.
At least 400 people have been detained following the riots, according to Brazilian authorities.
32 mins ago
Facebook says it will remove content praising Brazil's government building takeover
By Donie O'Sullivan
Facebook's parent company Meta declared the riots in Brazil an "infringement event" on Sunday, adding that it would "remove content that supports or praises" protesters who stormed government buildings.
"Before the elections, we designated Brazil as a temporary high-risk location and have been removing content calling for people to take up arms or forcibly invade Congress, the presidential palace and other federal buildings," the president said. Meta spokesman Andy Stone told CNN.
"We are also designating this a violation event, which means we will remove content that supports or praises these actions. We are actively monitoring the situation and will continue to remove content that violates our policies."
Some background: In the past, Meta has designated violent events, such as terrorist attacks, school shootings, and the January 6 attack on the US Capitol as so-called "infringement events."
The policy allows the company to expedite the removal of content in these circumstances.
42 mins ago
Brazil will take more measures to strengthen the country's capital, says official
By Rodrigo Pedroso
Brazil's government will take more measures to strengthen the capital of Brasilia, Justice Minister Flávio Dino said on Sunday.
Dino told reporters “there are still people on the Internet saying that they are going to continue with the terrorist acts.
And they will not be able to destroy Brazilian democracy.
They will not".
He also described the events on Sunday in Brasilia as "a coup d'Ă©tat."
“We regret that the patrimony of the Brazilian people has been squandered in a vile way.
It is not about the continuity of the electoral process, it is about a coup d'état, about terrorism”, said the minister, while adding that “we are not going to accept the path of criminality to carry out a political struggle in Brazil.
Criminals will be treated as criminals."
Dino went on to say "this will not happen again in this country because there is unity among the institutions to guarantee social peace and act against terrorism."
1 hour ago
UN Secretary General condemns "attack on Brazil's democratic institutions"
By Richard Roth
United Nations Secretary General AntĂłnio Guterres joined other world leaders on Sunday in condemning the violation of Brazil's Supreme Court, Congress and presidential palace by Bolsonaro supporters.
I condemn today's assault on Brazil's democratic institutions.
The will of the Brazilian people and the country's institutions must be respected.
I am confident that it will be so.
Brazil is a great democratic country.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) January 8, 2023
2 hours ago
Bolsonaro denounces assault by supporters on government buildings
By Rodrigo Pedroso
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro denounced the "depredations and invasions of public buildings" in Brasilia, after his supporters stormed key government buildings on Sunday.
Police say they have since cleared the crowd from the country's Supreme Court, the presidential palace and the congress building.
Bolsonaro tweeted that "peaceful demonstrations, respecting the law, are part of democracy."
“However, the depredations and invasions of public buildings such as those that occurred today, as well as those practiced by the left in 2013 and 2017, are beyond the rule," he continued. "Throughout my tenure, I have always been acting in accordance with the Constitution, respecting and defending the laws, democracy, transparency and our sacred freedom".
Some context: While Bolsonaro has said he would cooperate with the transition of power, he has also refused to explicitly acknowledge his electoral defeat in October.
The election came amid a tense and polarized political climate in Brazil, which has been battling high inflation, limited growth and rising poverty.
In the weeks since Bolsonaro's defeat, thousands of his supporters have gathered at military headquarters across the country, calling on the military to intervene while claiming, without evidence, that the elections were stolen.
2 hours ago
Police arrest at least 400 people after storming government buildings, governor says
By Flora Charner and Pierre Meilhan
Security forces detain a supporter of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro during a demonstration against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in front of Brazil's National Congress in Brasilia, Brazil, on Sunday.
(Adriano Machado/Reuters)
At least 400 people have been arrested after Bolsonaro supporters stormed key government buildings in Brazil's capital, said Ibaneis Rocha, governor of the country's Federal District.
Rocha tweeted that the detainees "will pay for the crimes committed."
“We continue working to identify all the others who participated in these terrorist acts this afternoon in the Federal District.
We continue working to restore order,” added Rocha.
The capital of Brazil, BrasĂlia, is part of the Federal District.
It is home to the country's Congress and Supreme Court buildings, and the presidential palace, which were stormed on Sunday.
3 hours ago
This is what led to the events of this Sunday in the capital of Brazil
by CNN
Brazil's new president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, center, accompanied by his wife, first lady Rosângela "Janja" da Silva, right, and Brazilian indigenous leader and environmentalist Raoni Metuktire, known as Chief Raoni, later of his inauguration ceremony at the National Congress, in Brasilia, on January 1, 2023. (Sergio Lima/AFP/Getty Images)
Today's unrest comes a week after the inauguration of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who defeated Jair Bolsonaro in a runoff election on October 30 and is now returning to power after a 12-year hiatus.
The elections came amid a tense and polarized political climate in Brazil, which has been battling high inflation, limited growth and rising poverty.
In the weeks since Bolsonaro's defeat, thousands of his supporters have gathered at military headquarters across the country, calling on the military to intervene as they claim, without evidence, that the elections were stolen.
The former president's statements: Bolsonaro alleged that some voting machines failed in the second round with Lula.
He issued a petition to void the election ballots.
The head of Brazil's electoral court rejected that request as "ridiculous and illegal" and "apparently conspiratorial towards the democratic rule of law."
In his ruling, Alexandre De Moraes, president of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal of Brazil, said that all electronic ballot models were "perfectly identifiable in a clear, secure and comprehensive manner."
Bolsonaro's government said it would cooperate with the transition of power, but the far-right leader stopped short of explicitly acknowledging his electoral defeat and left for the United States ahead of Lula's inauguration.
Bolsonaro supporters have camped out in the capital ever since.
Justice Minister Flavio Dino authorized the Armed Forces to install barriers and guard the Congress building on Saturday due to the continued presence of Bolsonaro supporters.
But the crowd broke through those defenses on Sunday.
Past violence: Since Bolsonaro refused to explicitly acknowledge his electoral defeat, there have been other instances of violence in Brazil.
A man was arrested in Brasilia after he was caught trying to enter Lula's inauguration party with a knife and fireworks, the Federal District State Police said in a statement.
Police also arrested a man on suspicion of planting and possessing explosive devices at the Brasilia International Airport.
The suspect, identified as Oliveira Sousa's 54-year-old George Washington gas station manager, is a supporter of Bolsonaro and told police in a statement, seen by CNN, that he intended to "create chaos" to prevent Lula take office.
Bolsonaro condemned the Sousa bombing, saying there is "no justification" for a "terrorist act."
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