Supporters of Brazil’s far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro have stormed the presidential palace, Congress, and the Supreme Court in the capital, Brasilia.
The Capitol Hill Riots “inspired” events took place a week after the inauguration of leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Lula declared a federal security intervention in Brasilia that will remain in place until the end of the month.
Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes also ordered social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and TikTok to block coup-mongering propaganda. The Top court also removed the governor of Brasilia from office for 90 days due to flaws in security in the capital.
Bolsonaro refused to accept his electoral defeat like Trump in 2021 and urged his supporters to intervene.
Videos on social media showed Bolsonaro supporters smashing windows and furniture in the National Congress and Supreme Court buildings on Sunday. They climbed onto the roof of the Congress building, where Brazil’s Senate and Chamber of Deputies conduct their legislative business, unfurling a banner that read “intervention” and an apparent appeal to Brazil’s military.
Bolsonaro, who has yet to concede defeat in the October 30 vote and is currently in the US state of Florida, has peddled the false claim that Brazil’s electronic voting system was prone to fraud, helping to fuel protests against Lula’s win.
Bolsonaro was silent for nearly six hours about the chaos in Brasilia before posting on Twitter that he “repudiates” Lula’s accusations against him.
