Hundreds of supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro have overcome police barriers and invaded the headquarters of the Brazilian Congress, the presidential palace, the Planalto Palace, and the headquarters of the Federal Supreme Court in Brasilia as part of a demonstration against the new Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Participants in the protest have overcome police barricades and ripped down barbed wire fences despite the use of pepper spray and other anti-riot means by the police. The protesters have the declared objective of ousting Lula and his vice-president, Geraldo Alckmin.
The demonstrators had gathered this Sunday in front of the Army Headquarters, in the administrative center of Brasilia, and marched to the Esplanade of the Ministries, where dozens of participants climbed up to the Congress building.
Later, they went to the presidential and Supreme Court headquarters, where they invaded the plenary of the court. The arrival of the Military Police was applauded by the demonstrators.
CAMPED OUT FOR THE COUP OF STATE Bolsonaro’s supporters have camped out in front of different barracks of the Brazilian Armed Forces to demand a coup d’état to «save Brazil» and depose Lula, winner of the October 2022 elections.
The security forces have not dissolved these rallies either in front of the Army Headquarters in Brasilia, starting point of the demonstration which ended with the seizure of the Congress. The encampments began after the electoral defeat of Jair Bolsonaro against Lula was confirmed.
POLITICAL REACTIONS Following these incidents, Fávio Dino, the Minister of Justice and Public Security of the new government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has warned that «absurd» attempts to impose by force a coup attempt «will not be imposed» in response to the seizure by supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro of the Congress headquarters in Brasilia.
«That absurd attempt to impose their will by force will not be imposed. The Federal District Government affirms that there will be reinforcements and the forces at our disposal are working. I am at the headquarters of the Ministry of Justice,» said Dino, according to the newspaper ‘Folha de Sao Paulo’.
The president of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco, also criticized the actions of the demonstrators and warned that «they must urgently suffer the rigor of the law».
«I have recently spoken by telephone with the governor of the Federal District, Ibaneis Rocha, with whom I maintain permanent contact. The governor has informed me that he is concentrating the efforts of the entire police apparatus to control the situation,» Pacheco posted on social networks.
«The security forces of the Federal District and the Legislative Police of the Congress are participating in this action. I vehemently condemn these anti-democratic acts that must suffer the rigor of the law as a matter of urgency,» he added.
Meanwhile, the spokesman for the Government bloc in Congress, Randolfe Rodrigues, has advocated for the union of democrats in the face of this attack by «terrorists». «Criminal anti-democrats cannot walk freely. Intolerant people must not be tolerated. We expect the harsh application of the law to all those involved in these actions,» he said.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
