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Military secure the area in front of the presidential palace after the storm by Bolsonaro supporters
Photo: Ton Molina / Fotoarena / IMAGO
A right-wing mob stormed the government district of Brasília, and chaos reigned in the Brazilian capital for hours.
Heads of state and high-ranking foreign politicians from all over the world have now expressed their dismay at the violence.
Many pledged their solidarity to the new head of state Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who was sworn in a week ago - and sharply condemned the attacks.
"Bad pictures reach us from Brazil," tweeted Federal Chancellor
Olaf Scholz
.
"The violent attacks on democratic institutions are an attack on democracy that cannot be tolerated." Germany stands close to President Lula and the people in the country.
Foreign Minister
Annalena Baerbock
also condemned the attack on Twitter.
She wrote of a "cowardly and violent attack on democracy."
»All our solidarity goes to the Brazilian people, their democratic institutions and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.«
German Development
Secretary Niels Annen
(SPD) tweeted 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".
The storming of government buildings was organized by radical supporters of right-wing ex-military Jair Bolsonaro.
They invaded the Congress, the Supreme Court and the government seat Palácio do Planalto on Sunday evening.
After several hours, security forces brought the building back under control and around 230 suspects were arrested.
In South America, the attack caused outrage across countries.
"Reprehensible and anti-democratic, the attempted coup by the Brazilian conservatives (...)", wrote Mexico's President
Andrés Manuel López Obrador
on Twitter late Sunday (local time).
"Lula is not alone: he has the support of the progressive forces of his country, Mexico, the Americas and the world."
Outrage from Buenos Aires to Washington
"The right failed to keep their pact of non-violence," tweeted Colombia's President
Gustavo Petro
.
All his solidarity goes to Lula and the people of Brazil.
Argentina's head of state
Alberto Fernández
wrote: "My unconditional support and that of the Argentine people for Lula against this attempted coup (...)".
Chile's President
Gabriel Boric
spoke of a "cowardly and mean attack on democracy".
Outraged reactions also came from other Latin American countries such as Bolivia, Cuba and Uruguay, as well as from various organizations on the continent.
US President
Joe Biden
called the attack "outrageous".
He later announced via Twitter that he condemned the "attack on democracy and the peaceful transfer of power in Brazil".
The "democratic institutions of Brazil" enjoy the "complete support" of the United States, and he looks forward to continuing to work with Brazilian President Lula.
EU Council President
Charles Michel
wrote on Twitter that he condemned the attack on "Brazil's democratic institutions in the strongest possible terms".
He also pledged his "full support" to Lula.
EU Commission President
Ursula von der Leyen
called the riots an "attack on democracy".
The EU foreign policy chief
Josep Borrell
also expressed his "horror" at the storming of the three buildings in Brasília by "violent extremists".
He declared: "The EU condemns the anti-democratic acts of violence that took place on Sunday 8 January in the heart of the government district of Brasília".
»Democratic traditions must be respected by everyone«
French President
Emmanuel Macron
called for "respect for democratic institutions" in Brazil.
In a tweet written in French and Portuguese, he reiterated France's "unwavering support" for President Lula.
India's Prime Minister
Narendra Modi
has condemned the attacks by right-wing supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on the government district of the capital Brasília.
"Very concerned by the news of unrest and vandalism against state institutions in Brasilia," the 72-year-old wrote on Twitter.
"Democratic traditions must be respected by everyone." All of India's support goes to the Brazilian authorities.
In Brazil itself, the riots also caused a lot of resentment - even among Bolsonaro loyalists.
Valdemar Costa Neto
, leader of Bolsonaro's Liberal Party (PL), spoke of a "sad day for the Brazilian nation".
And Bolsonaro himself condemned the attack from Florida, where he is on vacation.
“Peaceful demonstrations are part of democracy.
However, looting and raids on public buildings, as they took place today, are not included,” he wrote via Twitter.
"Throughout my tenure, I have always upheld the Constitution, respected and defended the law, democracy, transparency and our sacred freedom."
mrc/dpa
