Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has vowed to punish supporters of former leader Jair Bolsonaro after they stormed Congress, the Supreme Court, and surrounded the presidential palace.
The national guard has been called in to restore order and the president has ordered the closure of the center of the capital for 24 hours. These actions come just a week after da Silva’s inauguration.
I condemn the assault on democracy and on the peaceful transfer of power in Brazil. Brazil’s democratic institutions have our full support and the will of the Brazilian people must not be undermined. I look forward to continuing to work with @LulaOficial.
— President Biden (@POTUS) January 8, 2023
Bolsonaro has refused to accept his loss in the October election and was not present for the inaugural ceremonies. He is currently believed to be in Florida and has not commented on the violence.
Da Silva called the actions of the protesters “acts of vandals and fascists” and said there was “no precedent in the history of our country” for the events that took place in Brasilia.
