By GloboNews
Brazil’s government buildings have been stormed by hundreds of protesters unwilling to accept the election defeat of the far-right former president, Jair Bolsonaro.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who defeated Bolsonaro in the October election, ordered a shut down of central Brasilia after protesters broke into the National Congress, the Supreme Court and the presidential palace.
A sea of extremists clad in Brazil’s national colours vandalised the buildings, and were filmed smashing windows and throwing chairs from balconies while riot police fought back with tear gas.
GloboNews reported on Sunday evening that security forces had managed to retake all three buildings.
The stunning scenes immediately drew comparisons to the storming of the US Capitol by Trump supporters exactly two years and two days ago.
Trump, who claimed the 2020 election was stolen from him, is currently under investigation for inciting the insurrection on 6 January 2021, in which seven people were killed.
There is not yet any evidence that Bolsonaro, who has been nicknamed the “Tropical Trump”, orchestrated Sunday’s attack.
However, Portugal’s foreign minister João Gomes Cravinho, told Reuters that he believed “without a doubt” that Bolsonaro was responsible for the attack.
Just as it was in Washington DC, the vandalisation of government buildings in Brazil’s capital is an effort to block the peaceful and democratic transition of power.
South American leaders have rallied to condemn the attack, which Chile’s president, Gabriel Boric, branded a “disgraceful” and “cowardly and vile attack on democracy”.
President Lula, who was inaugurated just a week ago, launched a scathing attack on the city’s security forces in a televised speech made during the attack.
He said there was “incompetence, bad faith or malice” by the security forces of the Federal District (DF) of Brasilia.
“We are going to find out who are the financiers of these vandals who went to Brasilia and they will all pay with the force of law,” he said.
Pictured above: Hundreds of protesters storm Brazil’s government buildings
Image source: @HudsonAbudarham
