THE SQUIZ

More than 2 months after losing the presidential election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (aka ‘Lula’), supporters of the former national leader Jair Bolsonaro stormed Brazil’s Congress, Supreme Court and Presidential Palace in the capital Brasília yesterday. In scenes reminiscent of America’s Capitol Riot in 2021, it took authorities 3 hours to eject thousands of people after they’d smashed their way in and vandalised the buildings while wearing Brazil’s yellow and green colours. Reports say more than 1,500 people have been arrested. Lula said the protests were “without precedent”, and those behind them were “fanatic fascists”. He also blamed Bolsonaro for fuelling the riots via social media. The United Nations and several world leaders have condemned the violence, including US President Joe Biden, who said it was an “assault on democracy”.

HOW DID IT COME TO THIS?

Brazil’s presidential election in October 2022 was a bitter contest between far-right incumbent Bolsonaro and far-left former President Lula. Neither won 50% of the vote initially, so a run-off election was held a month later, which Lula won by a slim margin, scoring 50.9% of the vote. Bolsonaro never conceded defeat and was in the US last week instead of attending Lula’s inauguration ceremony. Bolsonaro’s supporters continue to spread claims that Brazil’s electronic voting system is vulnerable to fraud and that Lula’s Workers Party is corrupt and intent on implementing socialism. That all sounds a bit familiar, but unlike the violence former US president Donald Trump’s supporters carried out before Biden’s inauguration, the riots have come 8 days after Lula was sworn in. Bolsonaro has so far defended his supporters, saying they were mostly taking part in “peaceful demonstrations”, calling the violent scenes an “exception”.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

Bolsonaro remains in Florida, where his presence is becoming a headache for US authorities, and several Democrats have called for him to be sent back – although reports say “no official request” has been made from Brazil to the US regarding his visa. In Brazil, Lula has sacked the city’s security chief and vowed to take action, saying, “these people who did this will be found, and they will be punished”, while authorities have also dismantled a camp set up in Brasília as a de-facto HQ for Bolsonaro’s supporters. Lula’s also announced a ‘federal security intervention’ in Brasília lasting until 31 January. During the election, Lula campaigned on a promise to unite the country after years of division under Bolsonaro’s leadership. Experts say the storming of the nation’s most important government buildings will make that even more challenging, with Lula under pressure to crack down on those on the far right of politics.