Brazil, January 8 Riot
On January 8, 2023, supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, former president of Brazil, stormed Brazilian government buildings. These buildings included Congress, the Supreme Court, and the Presidential Palace. They smashed windows, damaged furniture, and destroyed artwork. This occurred a week after the inauguration (swearing-in) of President Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva. Bolsonaro supporters believe Lula stole the election from Bolsonaro. Roughly 1500 people were detained (taken into police custody) under investigation of their involvement, with some facing arrest and many others being let go.
Brazil has been experiencing political unrest for many years because of political polarization (political parties becoming radicalized), corrupt leaders, and government scandals, including corruption. Current President Lula had served two terms as president from 2003-2011, mainly focusing on creating his leftist policies. He was in prison for money laundering and corruption after his presidency, which prevented him from running in 2018, when Bolsonaro, a far-right candidate won the presidency. This presidency was filled with controversy as his far-right policies appealed to his supporters but caused upset with the left-leaning populations.
Brazil’s most recent election for president in October 2022 ended with the victory of Lula, with Bolsonaro losing his seat. This loss was faced with disagreement from Bolsonaro supporters who believed the election was stolen, with many claiming election fraud. Bolsanaro did not publicly acknowledge his loss, instead telling his supporters that the power was in their hands and reaffirming his control over the armed forces before removing himself from the public eye. The supporters camped in front of the Brazilian Army Headquarters, demanding that the military intervene and remove President Lula. Some of those supporters, combined with many new ones, were part of the group that stormed the Brazilian capitol on January 8th.
In response to the storming, President Lula has promised to investigate those who were involved, especially those who financed the event and the poorly involved police force. President Lula has also accused Federal District Security Secretary Andres Torres of sabotage, stating that Torres through changing the command of the Secretariat (the people responsible for day-to-day administrative work) and leaving for vacation, allowed this event to happen. Bolsonaro, in response to the accusations of his incitement of the event, has condemned (publically disapproved of) it and denied any involvement
people of Brazil protested against the stormers, taking to the streets of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro to demand punishment for the people involved. Government officials from all over the world have condemned the actions of the January 8th rioters. US lawmakers and officials have also pointed out the parallels of this riot with the January 6th capitol insurrection that occurred in the US 2 years earlier.