Brazil protests: Bolsonaro denounces violence as 400 arrested after his supporters storm congress
Congress, supreme court and presidential palace reportedly secured following attack being compared to 6 January invasion of the US Capitol
What we know so far
If you’re just joining us, here is where things stand in Brasília, where it is 8.30pm. My name is Helen Sullivan and I’ll be bringing you the latest from Brazil for the next while. If you have questions, comments or see news you think we may have missed, the best way to get in touch is on Twitter @helenrsullivan.
Supporters of Brazil’s far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro on Sunday invaded the country’s Congress, presidential palace and supreme court, in a grim echo of the US Capitol invasion two years ago by fans of former President Donald Trump.
At about 6.30 pm local time, three hours after the initial reports of the invasion, security forces managed to retake the three buildings, Brazilian media reported. TV images showed dozens of rioters being led away in handcuffs.
Leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known widely as Lula announced a federal security intervention in Brasília lasting until 31 January after capital security forces initially were overwhelmed by the invaders. Lula defeated Bolsonaro in election run-offs last year.
In a press conference, Lula blamed Bolsonaro and complained about a lack of security in the capital, saying authorities had allowed “fascists” and “fanatics” to wreak havoc. “These vandals, who we could call fanatical Nazis, fanatical Stalinists … fanatical fascists, did what has never been done in the history of this country,” said Lula, who was on an official trip to São Paulo state. “All these people who did this will be found and they will be punished.”
Lula also blamed Bolsonaro for the attacks, saying “This genocidist ... is encouraging this via social media from Miami,” referring to Bolsonaro. “Everybody knows there are various speeches of the ex-president encouraging this.”
Bolsonaro later rejected accusations against him by Lula and condemned the violence in Brasilia. In comments from his Twitter account, Bolsonaro also said that peaceful demonstrations were a part of democracy but that any invasion of public buildings crossed the line. The violence in Brasília could amplify legal risks Bolsonaro faces. It also presents a headache for US authorities as they debate how to handle his stay in Florida.
The governor of Brasília, Ibaneis Rocha, said that by 9pm, 400 people had been arrested in connection with the attacks. “We continue working to identify all the others who participated in these terrorist acts this afternoon in the Federal District. We continue to work to restore order,” he wrote on Twitter.
The sight of thousands of yellow-and-green clad protesters running riot in the capital capped months of tension after the 30 October vote. Bolsonaro, an acolyte of Trump’s who has yet to concede defeat, peddled the false claim that Brazil’s electronic voting system was prone to fraud, spawning a violent movement of election deniers.
US Democratic members of Congress Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Joaquin Castro called for Bolsonaro’s extradition from the US. “The US must cease granting refuge to Bolsonaro in Florida,” Ocasio-Cortez said, as she compared the protests to the 6 January storming of the US Capitol, saying: “Nearly two years to the day the US Capitol was attacked by fascists, we see fascist movements abroad attempt to do the same in Brazil.”
The supreme court, whose crusading Justice Alexandre de Moraes has been a thorn in the side of Bolsonaro and his supporters, was ransacked by the occupiers, according to social media images that showed protesters clubbing security cameras and shattering the windows of the modernist building.
Brasília Governor Ibaneis Rocha wrote on Twitter that he had fired his top security official, Anderson Torres, previously Bolsonaro’s justice minister.The solicitor general’s office said it had filed a request for Torres’ arrest.