Storm of Bolsonaro supporters
1,200 arrested after riots in Brazil
Security forces cleared a camp of supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in front of the armed forces’ headquarters in the Brazilian capital on Monday.
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Hundreds of supporters of ex-Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro broke through police barriers on Sunday and stormed into Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court.
After the storm by radical supporters of Brazilian ex-president Jair Bolsonaro on the government district in Brasília, around 1,200 supporters of the former right-wing head of state have been arrested for the time being. On Monday, security forces cleared a camp of Bolsonaro supporters in front of the armed forces’ headquarters in the Brazilian capital and temporarily detained the activists, as reported by the “G1” news portal. The people were taken away in around 40 buses. The storming of the government district caused international outrage.
Radical Bolsonaro supporters stormed the government district in the Brazilian capital 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 Palácio do Planalto, rioting in offices and boardrooms, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. The police seemed completely taken by surprise. It took hours for the security forces to bring the situation back under control.
Governor of Brasília suspended
The governor of the federal district around the capital was temporarily relieved of his office on Monday. The Supreme Court ordered Ibaneis Rocha to be suspended for an initial 90 days. According to the “G1” portal, the order should also be a warning to governors of other states not to remain inactive towards radical Bolsonaro supporters. Brasília’s security chief and former justice minister under Bolsonaro, Anderson Torres, had previously been fired. Head of state Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has been in office for about a week, placed public security in the capital under federal supervision by decree.
Access to the damaged buildings remained restricted Monday while investigators surveyed the damage and secured evidence.
Demonstrators escorted by police officers
The camp of Bolsonaro supporters in front of the barracks in Brasília has existed since the runoff election for the presidential office in Brazil at the end of October, from which Lula narrowly emerged victorious against Bolsonaro. When around 4,000 other supporters of the ex-president arrived in buses in the capital on Saturday and Sunday and moved to the government district, they were even escorted by officials. Police officers took selfies with the demonstrators and filmed cellphone videos, as seen on television.
Radical Bolsonaro supporters had already tried to break into the federal police building in Brasília in December. They set fire to cars and buses. Many Bolsonaro supporters do not recognize Lula’s election victory and are calling for military intervention.
Meta deletes comments
US tech company Meta says it will remove comments on social media supporting Sunday’s attack. “We evaluate this as a violent event and will delete content that supports or praises this action,” says a meta spokesman to the dpa.
The scenes in Brasília are reminiscent of the riots at the seat of the US Congress in Washington on January 6, 2021. At that time, supporters of former US President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol, where the Republican’s election defeat against Joe Biden was to be authenticated. The crowd violently entered the building, five people died. (SDA/noo)