The 'Trump' of Latin America

A view shows the damage caused following Brazil's anti-democratic riots, at the Supreme Court building in Brasilia, Brazil, January 9, 2023. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes

"They will not succeed in destroying Brazilian democracy. We need to say that fully, with all firmness and conviction."

"We will not accept the path of criminality to carry out political fights in Brazil. A criminal is treated like a criminal."

Justice Minister Flavio Dino, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

"Bolsonarism mimics the same strategies as Trumpism."

"Our January 8 -- an unprecedented manifestation in Brazilian politics -- is clearly copied from January 6 in the Capitol."

"Today's sad episodes represent yet another attempt to destabilize democracy and demonstrate that the authoritarian, populist radicalism of Brazil's extreme right remains active under the command of former president Bolsonaro, the 'Trump of Latin America'."

Paulo Calmon, political-science professor, University of Brasilia

 This past Sunday Brazilians whose political framework refuses to accept the victory vote in the recent general election that brought leftist Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva back to power in Brazil rampaged through the capital in a fury of rejection of the change of government, calling for the return of defeated president Jair Bolsonaro. The populist ex-president still has a passionate following in his country and they deplore the return of Lula de Silva.

 

Protesters on Sunday flowed in numbers into Congress, into the Supreme Court and into the presidential palace grounds, calling for the return of the former president and calling on the Brazilian military to restore Bolsonaro by coup. A pro-Bolsonaro encampment located outside a military building was broken up by police the following day, detaining about 1,200 people.

 

According to Brazil's minister of institutional relations, the buildings that had been stormed on Sunday would be inspected for evidence, including fingerprints and video images to ensure that those who were involved could be tracked down and held to account. There were further fears that the rioters intended to inspire similar such events across the country.

 

Dressed in the green and yellow of the Brazilian flag, rioters took to breaking windows, turning over furniture, tossing computers and printers to the ground outside buildings. A huge canvas of a nationalist painting at the presidential palace was slashed and destroyed, along with other works of art. At the Supreme Court, the U-shaped table that seats justices when they convene, was overturned, a door was ripped off one office, and an iconic statue standing outside the court was vandalized.

 

Governmental buildings and their interiors were left in shambles. On Sunday, 300 people were arrested, caught in the act of destroying public property. According to public prosecutors, local security forces had been negligent; the regional government had been temporarily suspended by a Supreme Court justice, and another justice placed blame on authorities for failing to quickly crack down on emerging neo-fascism in Brazil.

 

Hardcore supporters of ex-president Bolsonaro were convinced the electronic voting system was prone to fraud following the October 30 electoral defeat of the sitting government. Bolsonaro himself is no longer in Brazil. He left for Florida where he was admitted to an Orlando hospital with "abdominal pain", resulting from having been attacked and stabbed in 2018 while he was campaigning for the presidency, causing gut blockages and multiple hospitalizations over the years.

 

This is Brazil; the hard-core right susceptible to violent clashes with authorities in a polarized political arena where deeply left opponents cause their own type of violence in personal attacks meant to be lethal assassinations of those they deplore. Following his lost re-election, Jair Bolsonaro simply left the scene, neither accepting defeat nor congratulating his political opponent.

"I don't agree with what happened in Brasília - it was a nightmare. I don't agree with those who believe that with democracy you can use your power to destroy democracy."

"I want to show to the world and our country that even though there are thousands of people who believe the elections weren't valid, here in Brazil, we have a gigantic number of people who believe we can trust our government, we can trust in our democracy."

Gabriel, pro-Democracy rally, Sao Paulo, Brazil

A pro-democracy march in Porto Alegre in southern Brazil, around 1,200 miles (1931km) from the capital Brasilia, where the riots happened   Reuters