Brazil: Thousands demonstrate after riots for democracy

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Pro-democracy demonstrators also took to the streets in southern Brazil

Photo: SILVIO AVILA / AFP

Thousands of Brazilians took to the streets to defend democracy after radical supporters of Brazil's ex-president Jair Bolsonaro stormed the government district in Brasília.

The demonstrators in the metropolises of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro as well as in other cities in the South American country demanded severe consequences for the perpetrators, as the Brazilian news portal "G1" reported on Monday evening (local time).

Accordingly, the demonstrators carried placards with inscriptions such as “No amnesty and no forgiveness.

We want Bolsonaro in prison."

600 additional police officers moved to Brasilia

Radical Bolsonaro supporters stormed the government district in the Brazilian capital Brasília on Sunday.

They briefly brought the control centers of the country's most important state powers under their control.

They invaded Congress, the Supreme Court and the seat of government, rioting and leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.

It took hours for the security forces to bring the situation back under control.

The police officers on site seemed overwhelmed, some even seemed to sympathize with the attackers.

Over 600 additional police officers were transferred to the capital from other parts of the country as a consequence.

Officials are sent to the federal district from 15 states, as the newspaper Folha de S. Paulo reported on Tuesday.

Brasília's head of security was immediately dismissed, and public security in Brasília was placed under federal supervision by decree.

First Bolsonaro supporters free again

A total of 1,500 Bolsonaro supporters were provisionally arrested, most of them clearing a protest camp in front of the armed forces' headquarters.

The police are currently investigating who committed a crime in the attack on the government district.

Head of state Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva accused his predecessor Bolsonaro of inciting his supporters.

The former president denied the allegations.

Arrested mothers of young children and elderly people have since been released.

The federal police let them drive away in two buses on Tuesday night (local time), as the news portal “G1” reported.

muk/dpa