A few hours after the resumption of control of Brazilian places of power by the police, the time is up for questions and responsibilities. On social networks, the images showing the police discussing or taking photos with the rioters are multiplying.
“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,” Lula tweeted. After the riots comes the hour of responsibility.
Shortly after the police took over the buildings invaded by hundreds of Bolsonarians, 200 of whom were arrested, the Brazilian president went to the scene to inspect the damage inflicted on the presidential palace, the Supreme Court and in Congress.
Traveling to the state of São Paulo at the time of the events, Lula, in power for a week for a third term of his political career at the head of Brazil, castigated the “fascists”, who took advantage of a lack of security”.
The rioters “took advantage of the calm on Sunday (…) to do what they did”, wrote Lula again on Twitter, also pointing the finger at his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, who rejected “charges” “without evidence “.
Security vulnerabilities at the heart of the investigations
On site, the area had been cordoned off by the authorities. But the Bolsonarists, many dressed in the yellow jersey of the Seleção, the Brazilian football team, a symbol that they appropriated, managed to break through the security cordons and caused considerable damage in the three huge palaces, treasures of modern architecture overflowing with works of art.
The question of possible security breaches is now at the heart of the investigations. In another tweet, Lula castigated the management of the federal police, accused of not having stopped the progress of the rioters.
“The people responsible for the security of the Federal District are the police of the Federal District, which did not ensure it”, he wrote, denouncing the “incompetence” and the “bad faith” of the security forces of the capital city.
A first head fell: the governor of Brasilia, Ibaneis Rocha, close to Jair Bolsonaro, was suspended from office for 90 days. He will be investigated to determine his responsibility for the security breaches, as announced by Brazilian Justice Minister Flavio Dino.
Federal police escorted the rioters
Images, widely relayed on social networks, question the action of the police in the capital at the time of the assault. On these videos, members of the police are filmed taking selfies in front of the rioters, or taking photos.
Other images show federal police calmly chatting with bolsonarists, in the midst of an assault.
In the Brazilian press, stories are beginning to emerge of the meticulous organization for weeks of pro-Bolsonaro supporters, who have gathered on social networks, and in particular encrypted messengers like Telegram, which is reminiscent of the storming of the Capitol in Washington in January 2021.
Other images, associated with reconstructions of the route of the rioters by the Brazilian press, show the federal police escorting the rioters to the Square of the Three Powers, the cradle of the three palaces which represent the executive, the judiciary and the legislative.
According to Globe, many bolsonarists arrived, between Saturday and Sunday, by coach. The media reports 4,000 people who gathered in front of the Army headquarters before starting, around 2 p.m., the 8 kilometer journey separating them from the Place des Trois Pouvoirs.
The yellow and green human mass appears to be escorted by the security forces of Brasilia, calmly. Shortly before 3 p.m., the rioters broke through the roadblocks and entered the Congress.
At the same time, another part of the crowd invaded the Planalto Palace, the presidential residence. A few minutes later, the Supreme Court will in turn be ransacked. The rioters will remain around four hours in the three buildings, before being dislodged by riot police.
Flavio Dino has already announced that another investigation will be opened to determine who financed the hundreds of buses that transported supporters of Jair Bolsonaro to Brasilia. For his part, Jair Bolsonaro is still in the United States, and more particularly in Florida, where his friend Donald Trump lives. Targeted by several investigations by the Supreme Court, he could however have to leave the United States, American parliamentarians having spoken this Sunday evening in favor of his expulsion.
