Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva condemned “acts of terrorism” as security forces arrested more than 1,500 people from protest camps after a far-right mob rioted at the country’s government building earlier Sunday.
Hundreds of soldiers and police have been mobilized to dismantle and clear a makeshift camp near army headquarters in Brasilia.
There, about 3,000 supporters of ex-president Jair Bolsonaro set up tents that were used as a base for a sea of protesters who rioted in the presidential palace, the Congress and the Supreme Court for about four hours on Sunday.
Lula, who took office on January 1 after a bitter electoral victory over Bolsonaro, returned to work in the sacked presidential palace, where AFP reporters saw the wreckage of the previous day’s chaos: smashed art and offices, broken windows and doors. , broken glass scattered across the floor, and furniture dragged into a reflective puddle.
Lula, a 77-year-old left-wing veteran who previously led Brazil from 2003 to 2010, met with leaders of both houses of Congress and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and joined them in denouncing what many called the South American country’s version of the US Capitol riots in Washington for two years. back.
“The three forces of the republic, defenders of democracy and the constitution, reject the terrorist attacks and criminal, inflammatory vandalism that have taken place,” the joint statement said.
Lula accepted an invitation to meet with President Joe Biden next month in Washington, US officials said.
Bolsonaro hospitalized
Bolsonaro, who narrowly lost the October election, meanwhile revealed on Twitter that he was hospitalized in Florida with stomach pains caused by a near-fatal knife attack while running for the 2018 presidential campaign.
Bolsonaro claimed to have been the victim of a conspiracy against him by the Brazilian courts and electoral authorities.
The ex-president, dubbed “Tropical Trump”, traveled to Orlando on the penultimate day of his term, flouting Lula’s inauguration in a break with tradition.
Bolsonaro, 67, denounced the “looting” in Brasilia on Twitter Sunday night, but dismissed Lula’s claim that he instigated the attacks and defended the right to “peaceful protests.”
“Traces of Trumpism”
As the nation continued to grapple with the staggering violence on Sunday, hundreds of people gathered on the main avenue in downtown Sao Paulo to defend Brazilian democracy and demand punishment for the people who stormed the halls of power the day before.
“I endured what I have in this life, not to see what I saw yesterday – my people, my country, divided in this way,” said Edie Valladares, a 61-year-old teacher.
The demonstrators included young people, entire families, trade union activists, anti-racism advocates and others, with placards saying “Lula and I are for democracy” and “Respect for the vote of the people.”
Earlier in the day, large squads of riot police were deployed to blockade the capital’s Three Powers Square, home to the iconic modernist buildings that serve as the headquarters of the three branches of government.
Condemnation continued to pour in from around the world, with Pope Francis criticizing the riots as a sign of “weakening democracy” in America.
In a joint statement ahead of the Mexico City summit talks, Biden, Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the attacks and said they “support Brazil as it defends its democratic institutions.”
Showing strong support, Biden spoke to Lula by phone on Monday and invited him to visit the White House in early February. The Brazilian leader agreed, the White House said.
Biden told Lula of his support for “the free will of the Brazilian people as expressed in the recent Brazilian presidential election, which was won by President Lula,” the White House said in a statement.
Many have drawn the inevitable comparison to January 6, 2021, when supporters of then US President Donald Trump invaded the Washington Capitol in a brutal but failed attempt to prevent Congress from confirming his electoral defeat.
Investigation begins
Lula, who was in the southeastern city of Araraquara visiting the flood-hit region when the unrest began, signed a decree on Sunday announcing federal intervention in Brasilia, giving his government special powers over local police to restore law and order in the capital. .
His government promised to find and arrest those who planned and financed the attacks.
Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes suspended Brazilian Governor Ibanez Rocha, an ally of Bolsonaro, from office for 90 days on grounds of “criminal negligence.”
Moraes also ordered security forces to disperse anti-government protests outside military bases across the country.
Bolsonaro’s hardliners protested outside the army barracks, calling for military intervention to keep Lulu out of power after his election victory.
Following this decision, soldiers and police broke up camps in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, as well as in Brazil.
Lula narrowly won the runoff election on 30 October, 50.9% to 49.1%.
