Status: 09.01.2023 04:24
Supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro have stormed several government buildings in the Brazilian capital. Hours later, the police brought the situation under control.
At around 3 p.m. local time, thousands of suspected supporters of right-wing ex-President Jair Bolsonaro stormed the government district in Brasilia. Many with the national flag or in the jersey of the Brazilian national team. They smashed the windows of the Congress building, smeared walls – leaving behind a picture of destruction.
The police used stun grenades and tear gas, but were initially unable to do much against the attackers. Reinforcements came hours later, by evening more than 200 people had been arrested and the situation brought under control. However, the role of the police is disputed.
“Obviously the police weren’t prepared today either,” Xenia Böttcher, ARD Rio de Janeiro, on the riots in Brasilia
daily topics 11:20 p.m., 8.1.2023
security chief fired
President Lula, who was in Sao Paulo state at the time of the attack, made that clear: “We think there was a lack of security,” he said. “I want to tell you that all the people who have done this will be found and punished.”
During his speech, Lula fired Brasilia’s security chief, Anderson Torres. The reason: Bolsonaro supporters had apparently organized themselves into telegram groups and announced a demonstration – under the motto “tomada de poder”, seizure of power. According to local media, the Senate in Brasilia was aware of this, which is why it asked for the security forces to be strengthened. A requirement that Torres did not meet. Anderson Torres was Justice Minister under Bolsonaro.
The German-Brazilian political scientist Oliver Stünkel also sees parallels: “In the last two years, after the attacks in the USA on January 6, 2021, analysts have repeatedly said that something similar could also take place in Brazil,” says Stünkel . “Of course there are many parallels, also between Trumpism and Bolsonarianism.”
destructive criticism
Mayra Goulart, a professor of social sciences at the University of Rio de Janeiro, comments that Bolsonaro’s political style contributed to yesterday’s events: “During his entire time in the National Congress, for more than 27 years, Jair Bolsonaro gave countless speeches in which the defended the military dictatorship, the torture. In which he criticized the political system – but not in a constructive way, but destructively.”
In addition, Goulart said, during his tenure, Bolsonaro often spoke favorably of the storming of the Capitol in Washington.
Bolsonaro rejects responsibility
President Lula da Silva blames his predecessor Bolsonaro for the riots and calls for clarification: “We will find out who financed these vandals. We will find the backers and make them pay with the power of the law. For this irresponsible, anti-democratic act of this vandals and fascists,” said the head of state.
Brazilian Justice Minister Flavio Dino announced in the evening that there were indications of possible donors without giving details. Bolsonaro responded to Twitter hours after the riots. He rejects all allegations, he wrote. Peaceful demonstrations are part of democracy. With the storming of government buildings, however, a line is crossed.