A coup-mongering mob of supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) invaded this Sunday (8) the headquarters of the three Powers in Brasília: the Palácio do Planalto (Presidential Palace), the Congress, and the Federal Supreme Court.
The action, facilitated by the leniency of security forces and local authorities, is unprecedented in scale and destruction. The extremists destroyed rooms, windows, and works of art, attacked journalists, and confronted policemen.
Members of the Lula administration, the Federal Police, and the Federal Supreme Court blamed the government of Ibaneis Rocha (MDB) and especially the Security Secretariat of the Federal District, under the command of former Justice Anderson Torres, exonerated by the governor.
President Lula, who was visiting a region hit by rains in the countryside of São Paulo, called the invaders fascists and said they would be severely punished. He decreed federal intervention in the security of the Federal District.
Lula blamed his predecessor for the episode and asked to investigate the financing received by the coup-mongering group. In a tweet, Bolsonaro, in the US since the 30th, said that invasions and depredations are not part of democracy.
The attack, a week after Lula's inauguration, emulates an episode that took place in the US in 2021 and lasted more than three hours. According to the Chief Justice, more than 200 people were arrested.
Translated by Cassy Dias