Bolsonaro Supporters Storm Brasilia & Deface Government Buildings in Scenes Similar to January 6th in Washington

Boy! Jair Bolsonaro really does feel like Brazil's answer to Trump, in almost every way. For a little while, it seemed almost surprising that Bolsonaro - while falling short of conceding defeat in the election - nevertheless had seemed to bow out of power quietly, almost gracefully (at least that is how it seemed from afar). Well, all of that ended yesterday, as supporters of Brazil's far-right former President Bolsonaro had their own version of January 6th - even coming close to the date itself - as they temporarily took over some important government buildings in Brasilia, the national capital city. They were able to gain access and deface the country's Congress, presidential palace and Supreme Court yesterday. The scenes were eerily reminiscent of the January 6th attempted coup in Washington by pro-Trump supporters. 

Again, it was very similar to January 6th here in the United States. There were people laughing, smiling, taking selfies, and some who were destroying everything in sight. And in some cases, there were people doing both of those things. Ridiculous. Overgrown children with an inflated sense of entitlement, who cannot accept the results of an election that was not favorable to what they wanted and expected, and who then show a willingness to scrap democracy itself to bring in a dictatorial leader. 

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who won last year's election to replace Bolsonaro as President of Brazil, made a public declaration in the aftermath of the chaos:

"These vandals, who we could call ... fanatical fascists, did what has never been done in the history of this country," said Lula in a press conference during an official trip to Sao Paulo state. "All these people who did this will be found and they will be punished."

Yes Lula won the recent presidential election, albeit narrowly, with 51.9 percent of the vote, to 49.1 for incumbent Jair Bolsonaro. However, taking a page from the Trump playbook, Bolsonaro attacked the credibility of the election, claiming that he only officially lost because of "massive voter fraud." Also, much like Trump, Bolsonaro skipped town just before his successor's inauguration, again doing everything possible to try and attack the credibility and legitimacy of his successor.

Lula, however, made clear who he faults for the chaos at the nation's capital this weekend:

"This genocidist ... is encouraging this via social media from Miami," Lula said, referring to Bolsonaro, who flew to Florida 48 hours before the end of his term and was absent from Lula's inauguration. "Everybody knows there are various speeches of the ex-president encouraging this."

In response to the violence, Lula declared a federal security intervention in Brasilia that will last through to the end of the month. He also said that police who were complicit in allowing these lunatics such easy access into sensitive government buildings would be identified and punished.

Bolsonaro backers ransack Brazil presidential palace, Congress, Supreme Courtby Adriano Machado  January 8, 2023:      

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/bolsonaro-supporters-invade-congress-presidential-palace-brasilia-2023-01-08/