The most important questions and answers about the storm from Bolsonaro supporters

A week after the end of the term of office of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro (67), radical supporters of the right-wing ex-military stormed the government district in the capital Brasília. They raided Congress, the Supreme Court and the seat of government, Palácio do Planalto, on Sunday.

The radical Bolsonaro supporters, who attacked the government district, do not recognize the election victory of left-wing president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (77), who has been in office since the beginning of this year. They wanted to use force to try to reinstate Bolsonaro as president.

Lula, the idol of the left in Latin America for years, won the second round of the presidential election on October 30 by a razor-thin lead over Bolsonaro. Since then, Bolsonaro has not admitted his electoral defeat – refusing to attend the handover to Lula, among other things.

The police seemed completely surprised. Thousands of Bolsonaro supporters quickly broke down roadblocks and pushed back officials. Soon they were on the roof of the convention waving Brazilian national flags. Soon after, they also raided the Supreme Court and the seat of government.

Inside the buildings, the rioters’ hatred of the new left-wing government was evident. They knocked over chairs and desks, smashed windows, damaged works of art and scribbled slogans on the walls. An attacker even took the office door of federal judge Alexandre de Moraes (54), who was especially hated by Bolosonaro supporters, as a trophy.

Several demonstrators used the inclined lectern in the Senate as a slide, protesters shouted insults at the absent senators.

The damage to the Congress House, the Presidential Palace and the Supreme Court is considerable. The buildings are considered icons of modern architecture and contain numerous works of art. Photos published on online networks show that a painting by artist Emiliano Cavalcanti (1897-1976) exhibited in the Presidential Palace was damaged and had several holes.

It took security forces hours to regain control of the situation. The Marechaussee advanced with cavalry squadrons and armored vehicles to the Square of the Three States Powers in the center of the capital. Special forces use tear gas, helicopters circle over the government district. Some 230 suspects have been arrested, Minister of Justice Flavio Dino (54) announced.

Footage from the CNN Brasil television channel showed Bolsonaro supporters dressed in yellow and green with their arms behind their backs and accompanied by police officers coming down the slope of the Planalto presidential palace. A bus with arrested protesters then left for a police station.

At the start of the riots, however, the police did not cut a good figure. Numerous Bolsonaro supporters have camped in front of the armed forces headquarters for days. When some 4,000 other supporters of the ex-president arrived in buses in the capital on Saturday and Sunday and headed for the government district, they were even escorted by officials. Police officers took selfies with the demonstrators and filmed cell phone videos, as seen on television.

no Since Lula won the election, there has been fierce resistance among Bolsonaro’s supporters. After his election defeat, they had already demonstrated in front of military barracks and blocked important arterial roads. They called on the military to intervene to prevent Lula’s third term in office. The left-wing politician was head of state from 2003 to 2010.

“The looting and entering of public buildings, as happened today,” violates “rules for peaceful demonstrations,” Bolsonaro wrote on Twitter hours after the riots began. However, he himself defends himself against the “unproven allegations” of current president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Bolsonaro wrote. Lula had accused Bolsonaro of “encouraging” the attackers.

Bolsonaro’s party also condemned the attacks. “Today is a sad day for the Brazilian nation. We cannot agree with the storming of the National Congress,” Valdemar Costa Neto, 73, leader of Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party (PL), said in a video. “All organized demonstrations are legitimate. But chaos has never been a principle of our nation. We strongly condemn this behaviour. The law must be enforced to strengthen our democracy.”

President Lula, who was at the time of the attack in the southeastern city of Araraquara, which was devastated by floods in 2022, called the attack “unprecedented in Brazilian history”. The donors behind the protests would pay for the “irresponsible and undemocratic acts”. He called the attackers “fascist vandals”.

Brasília’s security chief, Anderson Torres, 47, was justice minister under Bolsonaro and is considered a follower of the ex-president. He was released on Sunday. Lula placed public safety in the capital under federal supervision by decree. Former head of state Bolsonaro apparently still has many sympathizers in the police. In any case, when the mob stormed the government district, only a few officials opposed it.

The incidents in Brasília sparked international outrage. The scenes in the Brazilian capital are reminiscent of the riots at the seat of the US Congress in Washington on January 6, 2021. At that time, supporters of Donald Trump (76) stormed the Capitol, where the Republican’s election defeat against Joe Biden took place. to be authenticated. The mob forcefully entered the building, five people died.

US President Joe Biden, 80, called the attack “outrageous” on Sunday. “Our support for Brazil’s democratic institutions is unwavering,” said National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, 46.

Josep Borrell (75), EU foreign policy chief, also supported Lula’s new government. “The EU condemns the anti-democratic acts of violence that took place on Sunday, January 8, in the heart of the government district of Brasília,” Borrell said on Sunday evening. “Brazilian democracy will triumph over violence and extremism,” it said.

German Development Minister Niels Annen, 49, tweeted in English that it was “incredible to see the attack of fascists on the Brazilian capital”. The international community will rally behind President Lula and the “democratic institutions of Brazil”. French President Emmanuel Macron (45) and the heads of state of Mexico and Argentina, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (69) and Alberto Fernandez (63), also issued harsh condemnatory words.