Supporters of Brazil’s far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro, who refuse to accept his electoral defeat, raided the Supreme Court, the Congress Building and the presidential palace in the Brasilia capital on Sunday, just a week after the inauguration of his left-wing rival, President Luiz. Inacio Lula da Silva.
Thousands of demonstrators bypassed security barricades, climbed onto rooftops, smashed windows and invaded all three buildings, which are connected through the vast Tri-Power Plaza in Brasilia. Some are calling for military intervention to bring the far-right Bolsonaro back to power.
Images on the Globo News TV channel showed protesters roaming the presidential palace, many dressed in green and yellow, the colors of the flag that have also become a symbol of Bolsonaro’s government.
The incidents were reminiscent of the January 6 US Capitol invasion, which many political analysts and the judiciary had been warning Bolsonaro for months about. But in this case, it’s likely that Congress and the Supreme Court had limited staff in the buildings on Sunday.
Bolsonaro’s supporters have been protesting Lula’s electoral victory since October 30, blocking roads, setting cars on fire and gathering outside military buildings, asking for the military to intervene. Many considered the election results to be fraudulent or unreliable.
“This absurd attempt to impose one’s will by force will not succeed,” Justice Minister Flavio Dino said on his Twitter account. “The government of the Federal District has provided reinforcements. And the forces at our disposal are working.”
Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco said he was in constant contact with Brazilian Governor Ibanez Rocha and that the entire police apparatus had been mobilized to control the situation.
Bolsonaro, who arrived in the United States before Lula’s inauguration, has not yet condemned or commented on the situation.
