Stupor in Brazil after the assault on Sunday January 8 against the presidential palace, the Congress and the Supreme Court in Brasilia by supporters of the far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro. The authorities, who regained control of these places of power on Monday morning, are just beginning to assess the extent of the damage, while the condemnations continue to rain.
“L’Obs” takes stock of this “remake” of the attack on the Capitol in Washington two years ago, almost to the day, by supporters of Donald Trump.
• Several hours of chaos
Since the second round of the presidential election on October 30, 2022, which saw the left-wing candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (known as “Lula”) win by a short head against Jair Bolsonaro, supporters of the former far-right head of state refuse to accept defeat and call for the intervention of the army.
A week after Lula’s inauguration, hundreds of them, many dressed in the yellow jersey of the Seleçao, the Brazilian football team, a symbol they have appropriated, have managed to invest the three huge palaces of the Brazilian capital under the rallying cry ” military intervention ” (to oust Lula from power).
The invaded buildings in Brasilia, including the Planalto presidential palace and the seat of the Supreme Court, were empty on Sunday.
After several hours of chaos, the police regained control of the buildings. More than 300 people were arrested and the general prosecutor’s office requested the immediate opening of investigations to establish “responsibility of those involved” in attacking official buildings.
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• Damage and degraded works
The authorities have already noted significant damage to the three palaces, treasures of modern architecture full of works of art. According to CNN, protesters set fire to the carpet in a Congressional lounge, which had to be flooded to put out the fire.
On social networks, videos showing the offices of parliamentarians ransacked or demonstrators standing on the seats of the hemicycle in the Senate have circulated. One of them sat on the seat of the speaker of the upper house, a striking mimicry with the pro-Trump demonstrators in the United States Congress two years ago.
On the windows of the facade which were not broken, some of the demands were inscribed: “Intervene now”, “Removing the Three Powers” – executive, legislative and judicial.
Paintings of inestimable value were damaged, including “the Mulattoes”, by the modernist painter Di Cavalcanti, exhibited in the presidential palace and pierced with several holes, according to photos circulating on social networks. On the Place des Trois-Pouvoirs, two police cars were vandalized and at least one was set on fire.
• Lula promises to “punish” the “fascist vandals”
Lula strongly condemned the invasion of places of power in Brasilia by “fascist vandals” after the rampage. The Brazilian president, sworn in just a week ago, had decreed a “federal intervention” to regain control of the security of the capital, where the police were totally overwhelmed by the assaults of the supporters of his far-right predecessor. This decree makes it possible to place local law enforcement under the command of federal forces in the event of a serious crisis.
“We will find them all and they will all be punished”said Lula from Araraquara, in the state of Sao Paulo, where he had gone after floods. “Democracy guarantees freedom of expression, but it also requires that institutions be respected”he added, deploring incidents “unprecedented in the history of Brazil”.
“The putschists who promoted the destruction of public property in Brasilia are being identified and will be punished. Tomorrow we resume work at the Planalto Palace. Democracy always »he tweeted again, after inspecting the ransacked buildings on his return to Brasilia late Sunday evening.
• Condemnation without firmness by Bolsonaro
Jair Bolsonaro was at the time of the facts in the United States, where he left two days before the inauguration of Lula, refusing to hand over the presidential sash to the one who defeated him by a short head and that he never congratulated.
“Peaceful protests, in accordance with the law, are part of democracy. However, depredations and invasions of public buildings […] are against the rules”tweeted the far-right ex-president.
In another message, however, he “dismissed the charges, without proof” of his successor. Lula said the ” speech “ of his far-right predecessor had “encouraged” them “fascist vandals” having invaded the presidential palace, the Supreme Court and the Congress in Brasilia.
Several of his allies distanced themselves from the violence on Sunday, including Valdemar Costa Neto, president of the PL, Bolsonaro’s party, who regretted “a sad day for the Brazilian nation”.
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• Rain of international condemnations
International reactions were not long in coming after the chaos that gripped the Brazilian capital on Sunday. French President Emmanuel Macron has called for “respect for democratic institutions” in Brazil and highlighted the “unwavering support from France” to President Lula.
His American counterpart Joe Biden judged “scandalous” the violence of the demonstrators. He then ” sentenced “ in a tweet this “attack on democracy and the peaceful transfer of power in Brazil. Brazil’s democratic institutions have our full support and the will of the Brazilian people must not be undermined.”added Joe Biden.
In Brussels, the President of the European Council Charles Michel expressed his “absolute condemnation”.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lepez Obrador expressed his support for Lula. “Reprehensible and undemocratic, the conservative coup attempt in Brazil”he wrote on Twitter. “Lula is not alone, he has the support of progressive forces in his country, in Mexico, in the Americas and around the world”he added.
Argentine President Alberto Fernandez also on Twitter expressed “his unconditional support and that of the Argentine people to [Lula] in the face of this attempted coup d’etat”.
