Thousands of supporters support Brazil’s right-wing former president Jair Bolsonaro on Sunday raided the country’s parliament, supreme court, and presidential palace In the first crisis of President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva. They demanded the resignation of veteran leftists and called on the military to launch a coup.
Who are the protesters?
Bolsonaro’s populist movement has long relied on radical, highly mobilized supporters who flock to rallies and events.They were mainstays of his presidency from 2019 to last year, and also protested in large numbers After being narrowly defeated by Lula in the October elections.
Days after the vote, a number of pro-Bolsonaro truck drivers blocked highways across the country, choking supply chains and at one point forcing the closure of Brazil’s main international airport. These hardliners are nationalist, socially conservative, and often evangelical Christians.they blame Lula He claims that his Workers’ Party is corrupt and against family values, and that the left is trying to instill socialism in Brazil.
what do they believe?
For more than a year before the election, Bolsonaro questioned the integrity of Brazil’s electronic voting machines without providing credible evidence for his claims. Electoral officials have repeatedly demonstrated the integrity of the system, and international observers deemed the elections fair and transparent.
Bolsonaro was careful not to openly question the election results in the days following the vote, but his supporters have claimed, without evidence, that the vote was rigged. , accused a Supreme Court justice of showing political bias in favor of Lula, and called the judicial crackdown on social media misinformation censorship. Since the election, hundreds of people have camped outside military bases across the country, demanding that the military intervene to prevent Lula from taking office.
Alexandra Morais, a woman in her 60s, said last year during a demonstration outside the military barracks in the city of Belo Horizonte that “the national army has entered the country and put Bolsonaro back in place to rule the country and do his great job.” I have to continue,” he said. She said, “70-80% of Brazilians want this, but the election was rigged.”
despite the tense build-up in front of me Inauguration of Lulaincluding the discovery of a suspected bomb in Brasilia, few protested at last week’s swearing-in ceremony.
what happened on sunday January 6 Invasion of the U.S. Capitol In 2021, mobs in Washington tried to block the confirmation of Joe Biden as president, a week before Lula had been confirmed as head of state. Brasilia’s parliament was not in session, and the Supreme Court and presidential palace were empty when they were raided.
Even if Sunday’s attack did not have a clearly defined practical purpose, one of which may have been to provoke a state of emergency, nonetheless, Latin America’s largest It delivered a symbolic blow to the center of political power in the country and its three government seats.
What does Bolsonaro say?
For two days after his election defeat, Bolsonaro remained silent. He then expressed, in a very brief statement, his tacit support for radical protesters blocking highways and congregating outside military bases. It is the result of resentment and feelings of unfairness that have been unfolded in the past,” Bolsonaro said at the time.
During the final months of his presidency, he allowed demonstrators to continue occupying areas outside military bases, even as they called for military intervention to prevent Lula’s inauguration.
Bolsonaro himself has not openly contested the election results, but his party launched a legal challenge to overturn the result, which was quickly dismissed by a court. The captain blamed a suspected bombing plot in Brasilia discovered by police a week before Lula’s inauguration ceremony.
In a show of intense bitterness between Lula and Bolsonaro, the far-right populist broke with tradition and refused to attend the swearing-in ceremony to hand over the presidential belt. I was spotted eating fast food.
Bolsonaro posted on Twitter Sunday night to condemn the actions of hardcore extremists.
“Peaceful demonstrations in accordance with the law are part of democracy. I will,” he wrote.
Ultra-conservative populists also rejected Lula’s accusations of facilitating the attacks.
Still, Bolsonaro is likely to face accusations from his opponents for creating a polarized atmosphere and hostility to Brazilian institutions, particularly the Supreme Court.
Following Sunday’s events, many criticized Brasilia’s governor Ibanez Rocha and his security chief Anderson Torres. On Sunday night, Reuters reported that Brazil’s attorney general had called for Torres’ arrest.
what happened now?
Lula came to power after a divided election, vowing to unite the country. The attack is likely to lead him to take a tougher stance against far-right extremism. and fascists.”
Brazil’s new justice minister, Flavio Dino, has been keen on cracking down even before the attack on parliament.
