Far-right protesters, supporters of President Jair Bolsonaro, have caused serious disturbances Monday night in central Brasilia, to protest the arrest of an instigator who took actions in favor of the coup. Bolsonaristas attempted to break into an administrative building of the Federal Police in central Brasilia, but were rejected by the security forces.
The riots spread to the hotels sector, next to the police station, in the area where the hotel where Brazil’s new president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who will come to power on January 1, is staying. The police installed a special security device around the hotel and even sent a helicopter into the building, but the elected president was not evacuated in the end. After checking the situation on the streets, future Minister of Justice Flávio Dino in Lula’s cabinet assured: Lula “sure” and “never” was exposed to “any risk”.
Buses and vehicles on fire
protesters set fire to several vehicles, including cars parked near the Federal Police building and several city buses. Some protesters pushed a bus until it left it hanging over a viaduct that intersects the capital’s two main streets. Other radicals caused damage by setting a car on fire at a nearby gas station.
So far, local authorities have not done a damage assessment and have not reported any arrests due to the riots, which were brought under control by police and cavalry about three hours after the violence broke out. used rubber bullets and tear gas.
protest the arrest
protest a Response to the arrest of an indigenous cacique with Bolsonarist ideology accused of inciting coup-like protests. Chief José Acácio Serere Xavante has been arrested on the orders of a Supreme Court judge on suspicion of holding “anti-democratic demonstrations in various parts of Brazil”, including the occupation of the capital’s airport by a group of indigenous people last week. While in Federal Police custody, Xavante sent a video to the media asking protesters to stop violent acts such as “burning cars and attacking the Federal Police”.
government silence
Future Minister of Justice Flávio Dino promised at a press conference that anyone involved in acts of vandalism will be “held accountable”. no state authority administered by bolsonaro condemned the attacks until late in the morning. The only statement made by the government came from Justice Minister Anderson Torres, who said on social networks that “everything will be investigated and clarified” and assured that the Federal Police will cooperate with local authorities to “contain violence and restore order”. . .
Hours before the events, Bolsonaro came to encourage hundreds of protesters concentrated on the outskirts of the Alvorada palace, his official residence. On that occasion, Bolsonaro did not speak, but was with a priest who was chanting against Lula to extremists who had gathered outside the barracks for a month to ask the army to stage a coup.
After nearly 40 days of silence, Bolsonaro spoke to his supporters for the first time last Friday, urging them to stop asking for military intervention and think about “what each can do for the homeland”.
The riots occurred before the inauguration ceremony, which was procedurally scheduled for January 1, the day Lula received the diploma accrediting him as president-elect. Since the second round of the election on 30 October, Bolsonaro has not openly conceded defeat or congratulated Lula, who won by less than two percent. However, Bolsonaro allowed the government transition to begin.