L-R: President Luiz Inacio da Silva, security forces mounting a barrier to stop the violent protesters from causing much harm. Pix Reuters
Security forces have detained 1,200 people after supporters of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro stormed government buildings in Brasília.
Thousands of demonstrators ransacked the Congress building as well as the presidential palace, and Supreme Court on Sunday. Bolsonaro lost the presidential election to left-wing Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in October after sowing unsubstantiated claims about voting systems.
Many of his supporters have refused to accept the result and some have been camping outside army buildings around the country calling for a military intervention.
A supreme court judge has ordered those camps outside the army’s headquarters in the capital – and at other sites – be dismantled.
‘Democracy will survive in Brazil’
Diego Scardone, a senior parliamentary adviser to the Socialism and Liberty Party, which is in coalition with President Lula, can see a glimmer of hope amidst the division between Bolsonaro and Lula supporters.
Speaking to Radio 4’s World at One, he said he had never seen anything like the events of Sunday in Brazil before – but he was confident democracy would survive.
“More than 90 per cent of all the posts in social media were against the violence used in Brasília yesterday – public opinion is against violence in Brazil historically,” he said.
“The most important thing now is to find out who is financing and who is organising this and bring them to justice.”
Former president Jair Bolsonaro has rejected allegations by President Lula that he instigated the unrest, saying he has always respected the constitution and the rule of law.
World leaders including US President Joe Biden have condemned the riots as an attack on democracy. BBC Report
