Brazil Riots: Explained
Source: Sky News
In an action that many have compared to the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol Building mobs stormed Brazil’s congress and Supreme Court on January 6, 2023 . After Mr. da Silva narrowly won the runoff election on October 30, large crowds of supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro began protesting near Brazilian military bases. The protesters demanded for the election results to be overturned and the new president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, be imprisoned. They wished for military intervention to be taken on the newly elected president, contending that he had cheated in the election. However, there was no evidence to support this.
At the time of the raid, the government buildings were unoccupied. Many infer that these raids were meant to raise doubts in the public about the security of Brazil’s government institutions. Mr. da Silva will be under pressure to reprimand the mobs of supporters that raided the buildings. In a televised meeting with state governors, Mr. da Silva said, “We will not allow democracy to slip out of our hands. In the name of defending democracy, we will not act in an authoritarian way with anyone, but we also will not go lightly on them. We will investigate and find out who financed it.”
As a result of the protest, 1,500 pro-Jair Bolsonaro rioters, those that support the former president of Brazil, were detained by the Brazilian police. During the riots, the Congress, supreme court and presidential palace were stormed. Police fired stun grenades and used pepper spray on the demonstrators. The demonstrators ransacked rooms and damaged furniture. Files covered the ground as water came from the fire sprinklers.
Bolsonaro reacted to the riot by declaring that peaceful demonstrations are part of democracy. However, many parts of the riot had clearly crossed the line and could not be considered peaceful. Lula accused Bolsonaro of encouraging the raid as he had not come to his inauguration, which was expected of resigning presidents. Bolsonaro repeatedly voiced his skepticism of the trustworthiness of the electronic voting system. After the election results had been released, he attempted to challenge them, but it was rejected by a court. However, Mr. Bolsonaro voiced to his supporters that they should avoid violence.
After police officials forced protestors into the streets, small groups of supporters of Mr. Bolsonaro temporarily blocked highways and set fire to litter. Many joined the protests out of fear for Brazil’s economy as the country just experienced its worst recession in 2015 and 2016 under Mr. da Silva’s presidency.
Following the attack, Mr da Silva accused the Brazilian military police of not acting to contain the protestors. During the riots, officers were filmed chatting with protesters rather than acting to stop the chaos at hand. He issued a state of federal intervention, which resulted in the federal government temporarily replacing state authorities in charge of public security.
One might ask what the significance of the attack on the capital in Brazil is. Brazil is one of the world’s largest democracies and it is extremely important that democracies remain true to their ideals of their leaders gaining office through a legal election process. These types of attacks must not inspire other leaders to attempt to hold onto or gain power illegally. Democracies must not fall victim to extremism and instead must ensure the political transitions are peaceful and the rule of law reigns supreme.
by MADELEINE HODGES