The attack on Brazil’s seat of government resembles the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
New York TimesJan 09, 2023
On Sunday, Brazilian authorities said supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro breached the country's congress, supreme court, and presidential palace — many calling for military intervention to remove Brazil's Pres. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Video footage shows thousands of protesters destroying barricades, attacking police vehicles, damaging windows and furniture, and destroying artworks inside the government buildings in the capital Brasília.
Echoes of the Jan. 6 Capitol Riot are undeniable in this mob violence caused by supporters of Brazil's Trump-like former Pres. Bolsonaro. Far-right Brazilians have followed the same playbook, baselessly claiming election fraud before threatening democratic institutions. Now, they must face the same fate as those who inspired them and be held to account.
Sunday's protests began peacefully, but this outcome shouldn't be surprising as Brazilian society has long been under immense pressure. Fueled by discontent over the Supreme Court's intervention in the elections to undemocratically favor Lula, as well as unanswered questions about the electoral process swept under the rug, protesters' expression of discontent ended in violence as a result of the injustice governing their society.