Thousands of supporters of former Brazillian president Jair Bolsonaro stormed the nation’s Supreme court, congress, and presidential officers in Brasilia. Here’s all you need to know.
Why are Jair Bolsonaro’s followers protesting?
The scenes in Brasilia on Sunday were highly reminiscent of the ones from the US Capitol hill two years ago. Thousands supporting former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stormed the Supreme court, congress, and presidential officers in the capital city. The protestors broke windows, raised slogans, and set off fires in addition to fighting the police. Draped in the nation’s flag, they announced the nation and the congress belonged to them.
The rioters are supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right leader who lost the presidential election by a small gap last year. The leader also claimed Brazil’s election process was rotten and the elite were plotting to remove him from power. However, he has been quiet since his loss to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in October’s runoff elections. However, his supporters are convinced the elites, the “establishment” and the media stole the elections. Since then, the unrest is growing gradually. Supporters of Bolsonaro are also demanding the Brazillian military to step in and help in preventing President Luna from taking charge of the nation.
More on the riots in Brasilia
On Sunday, thousands of Bolsonarists marched to the Praça dos Três Poderes or Three Powers Square in Brasilia. The main group of protesters entered through the Esplanada dos Ministérios, or Ministries Promenade, where the ministerial offices are located. As per an AP report, they climbed on the roads and invaded the three buildings by smashing the windows. They then proceeded to overturn furniture and loot items. President Luna was not present in the capital and blamed Bolsonaro for “triggering” the violence after arriving at the scene. “There is no precedent for what these people have done, and for that, these people must be punished,” stated Luna.
Politicians and people across the world are condemning the action. “Democracies of the world must act fast to make clear there will be no support for right-wing insurrectionists storming the Brazilian Congress. These fascists modeling themselves after Trump’s Jan. 6 rioters must end up in the same place: prison,” tweeted US Representative Jamie Raskin. Raskin is a Democrat of Maryland. “Democratic traditions must be respected by everyone,” stated Narendra Mode, the Prime Minister of India.