“We will not let democracy escape us. » This is the promise made by the Brazilian President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Monday evening January 9 in Brasilia, before descending the ramp of the Planalto Palace, the heavily damaged seat of government, surrounded by judges of the Federal Supreme Court ( TSF), members of Congress and state governors.
In the aftermath of the invasions and looting of these three emblematic places of power, camps of radicals who still reject Lula’s victory, more than two months after his election, were dismantled by the police, who also proceeded to numerous arrests, signing a recovery after the scenes of chaos the day before.
At the same time, far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro confirmed to be hospitalized in Orlando, Florida, with an intestinal problem. He flew to the United States two days before Lula’s inauguration on 1er January, refusing to hand over the presidential sash to the one whose victory he has never digested on the wire.
A joint declaration “in defense of democracy”
Mr. Lula met with the presidents of the Federal Senate, the Chamber of Deputies and the TSF at the Planalto Palace. They signed a joint statement “in defense of democracy” published on the left-wing head of state’s Twitter account:
“The powers of the Republic, guarantors of democracy and the 1988 Constitution, reject the terrorist acts, vandalism, criminals and putschists that occurred yesterday in Brasilia. (…) Society needs (…) serenity (…), peace and democracy. »
Manifestação conjunta dos presidentes dos Poderes da República, assinada na manhã de hoje, em repúdio aos atos golp… https://t.co/qkGE1a0RO0
The condemnation also found an echo in the streets of Sao Paulo, on the emblematic Paulista Avenue, where, late at night, thousands of people gathered to “defending democracy” and ask “the imprisonment of the putschists”.
US President Joe Biden has expressed the “unwavering support of the United States for Brazilian democracy and the expression of the free will of the Brazilian people”inviting President Lula to Washington in early February, according to a joint press release published after a telephone interview held on Monday. An invitation accepted by the Brazilian head of state, according to the same document.
Three hundred rioters and 1,500 bolsonarists arrested
On Sunday, hundreds of Jair Bolsonaro supporters launched near-simultaneous assaults on the Planalto presidential palace, Congress and the TSF. It took almost four hours for ill-prepared law enforcement to evacuate them. These events seemed to be the Brazilian copy of the invasion of the Capitol in Washington in January 2021 by sympathizers of the defeated ex-president Donald Trump, ally and model of Bolsonaro.
“The putschists responsible for the destruction of public property in Brasilia will be punished”, launched Lula. As of Sunday evening, some 300 rioters have been arrested. And Monday evening, around 1,500 Bolsonarists who occupied a camp in the heart of Brasilia were arrested in turn, when the military police and the army dismantled their camp, according to the Minister of Justice and Security, Flavio Dino.
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Installed for more than two months, they demanded a military intervention to prevent Lula’s accession to power. This camp provided the bulk of the attackers on Sunday. Other camps in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo were dismantled on Monday, according to AFP-TV journalists.
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), for its part, challenged Monday on Twitter the use of the jersey of the national team worn by the bolsonarists “in anti-democratic acts and vandalism”.
“The worst is over”
“The country is returning to the path of institutional normality at high speed (…). The putschists have failed in their attempt to break the law”said Mr. Dino on Monday, for whom “the worst is over”.
As of Sunday evening, the judge of the Federal Supreme Court Alexandre de Moraes suspended for ninety days from his functions the governor of the district of Brasilia, Ibaneis Rocha, who had just presented his apologies in a video for ” loopholes “ security that allowed the looting.
The rioters caused considerable damage to the three huge palaces, treasures of modern architecture designed by Oscar Niemeyer. Invaluable national heritage works of art were also damaged. Six hours after the assaults, Mr. Bolsonaro had finally condemned lip service “the depredations and invasions of public buildings”while denying any responsibility, while Lula had accused him of having encouraged the “fascists”.
“Even being, cowardly, 6,100 kilometers from the Brazilian capital”wrote Miriam Leitao, editorial writer for the daily O GloboJair Bolsonaro “is the main responsible for what happened yesterday in Brasilia, because of his work [de sape] daily, constant for four years”. The ex-president has continued to question the electoral process, supported by massive misinformation on social networks. Many of his supporters remain convinced that victory was stolen from him – like those of Trump in the United States.