Storming of government quarters – Attack on Brazil’s democracy: the most important answers – News


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Supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro have vandalized the government district in Brasilia.

What happened? Radical supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed the government district in the Brazilian capital Brasilia on Sunday. The mob would have wreaked havoc in the Congress building, the Supreme Court and the Presidential Palace. Video footage from local media showed thousands of people smashing windows and destroying furniture inside the buildings.

Legend:

A mob has devastated the government district.

George Marques/via Reuters

What is the current situation? Apparently, the security forces have brought the situation under control. Special forces from the military police and the presidential guard cleared the stormed buildings, as reported by the state Agência Brasil. Bolsonaro’s supporters then gathered in parking lots and on the lawn in front of the National Congress. There are said to have been around 200 arrests. Armored vehicles and tear gas were used, and helicopters circled over the government building. According to agencies, Lula has now arrived in Brasilia to inspect the seat of government.

What happened in the weeks leading up to the riots? As of this month, Brazil has a new president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The 77-year-old took his oath of office on January 1st. Lula was president from 2003 to 2010. He was elected by a narrow margin: the left-leaning Lula received a little less than 51 percent of the votes in the runoff last October, his opponent and then President Jair Bolsonaro a little more than 49 percent.

“Outrageous”: The world condemns the storming of the government building


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Various states and organizations have condemned the storming of the government building by Jair Bolsonaro’s supporters. The Swiss foreign department EDA has already announced on Twitter that it is concerned about the violent actions and reaffirms its support for Brazilian institutions and democracy.

US President Joe Biden, meanwhile, described the storm as “outrageous” during a visit to the state of Texas on Sunday, according to his spokeswoman. Biden’s National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, also wrote on Twitter: “The United States condemns any attempt to undermine democracy in Brazil.”

Meanwhile, the European Union has pledged its support to Lula. “The EU condemns the anti-democratic acts of violence that took place in the heart of the government district of Brasilia,” said foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Sunday evening. The EU reiterated its full support to President Lula and expressed its solidarity with the democratic institutions that had been targeted in this attack. “Brazilian democracy will triumph over violence and extremism,” it said.

The German Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also commented on the events. “What happened in Brasilia was a cowardly and violent attack on democracy,” wrote the Green politician on Twitter on Monday morning. All of Germany’s solidarity applies to the Brazilian people, their democratic institutions and the current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Bolsonaro supporters immediately reacted to the right-wing populist’s election defeat with riots. They blocked numerous trunk roads, set car tires on fire and erected barricades. They accepted the defeat of Bolsonaro, who, like former US President Donald Trump after his defeat by Joe Biden, had cast doubt on the electoral system. At the same time, Bolsonaro never explicitly acknowledged his defeat – knowing that many of his supporters are armed and had already called for a military coup.

Why did the riots happen? Jair Bolsonaro’s rhetoric is probably the biggest reason why the government district was stormed. For years, Boslonaro has been telling his supporters to arm themselves, and the hard core actually did, not least because of Bolsonaro’s loose gun laws.

Lula therefore also blamed Bolsonaro for the storming of the government district. He wrote on Twitter that Bolsonaro had advocated this type of violence in previous speeches.

Did Bolsonaro react to the storming of the government district? Jair Bolsonaro has condemned the storming of the government district. A line is being crossed with the storming of government buildings, according to the former president. At the same time, he rejected the “accusations” of Lula on Twitter.

At the same time, Bolsonaro did not stop putting the storming of the government district into perspective. He compared the events, among other things, with the mostly peaceful demonstrations in Brazil in 2013.

Assessment of the SRF South America correspondent.


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According to SRF South America correspondent Karen Naundorf, there were signs that acts of violence could occur. The police, who are responsible for protecting the Senate, had already requested reinforcements on Saturday. That gives cause for concern, Naundorf continues: “On the one hand, because the reinforcements did not come and on the other hand, because the call for help from the governor of the capital district was ignored.” This is an ally of Bolsonaro.

No matter how the situation develops, this is already a huge success for Bolsonaro supporters. Despite everything, Naundorf said a few hours after the violence broke out: “So far, no well-known politician from the Bolsonaro party has sided with the mob.”

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