Brazilian Congress stormed by Bolsonaro supporters, President Lula vows to punish them

• Highlights if the Incident:
  • Hundreds of right-wing protestors in Brazil went rogue and stormed multiple government buildings.
  • Large crowds in Brasilia ascended a stairway to the parliament building, where they had arrived at the Green Room outside the lower House of Congress’ chamber.
  • Brazilian President Lula Di Silva said, “all the people who did this will be found and punished.”
  • Attorney General’s Office in the Federal District to immediately open a criminal investigation procedure aimed at holding those involved accountable.

The Brazilian Congress was stormed by the right-wing protesters. It was not just the congress but also the supreme court that was breached. This breach comes after a week of Lula Da Silva’s inauguration as the leader of Brazil. His return to power comes after 12 years after he defeated Bolsonaro in a run-off election on October 30. Bolsonaro supporters however claim the elections were rigged and are demanding to nullify ballots cast on most electronic voting machines.

Brazilian President Lula Di Silva on Sunday vowed to punish hundreds of protestors who went rogue and stormed multiple government buildings. Lula da Silva called the events in the Brazilian capital of Brasilia “barbaric” and said that “a lack of security” had allowed Bolsonaro’s “fascist” followers to get past the military-erected barriers outside the parliament building, the Supreme Court, and the Planalto Presidential Palace.“These people are everything that is abominable in politics,” he said, adding that “all the people who did this will be found and punished.”

Footage Sunday showed large crowds in Brasilia ascending a stairway to the parliament building, where they had arrived at the Green Room outside the lower House of Congress’ chamber. While CNN Brasil showed the entrance of the Brazilian Armed Forces and anti-riot police, other media channels showed Bolsonaro supporters entering the Supreme Court and the presidential palace. CNN Brasil reports that as demonstrators attempted to set fire to the carpet, the sprinkler system was activated, flooding the floor of the Congress building. Additional footage saw demonstrators looting the building’s art gallery and stealing presents from visiting delegations.

Bolsonaro also criticised the activities of his followers, claiming that although authorised, legitimate protests are a component of democracy “depredations and invasions of public buildings as occurred today, as well as those practiced by the left in 2013 and 2017, escape the rule.” The government buildings are now evacuated and vandalism has been halted by security forces. Anyone found to be part of these violent protests will be prosecuted under Brazilian law. Brazil’s Attorney General’s office (MPF) said in a statement it is investigating all involved in the breaches. The attorney general of the republic Augusto Aras has also “requested the Attorney General’s Office in the Federal District (PRDF) to immediately open a criminal investigation procedure aimed at holding those involved accountable.”