President Lula who took office on January 1 was on an official visit to the state of Sao Paulo when these incidents happened. He later visited the sites on his return to the capital.
The protesters dressed in yellow and green outfits ransacked the three iconic buildings in the Brazilian capital Brasilia. The protesters broke furniture, and window panes, destroyed computers, damaged artwork and also flooded parts of the Congress building with a sprinkler system. Local authorities took control of the situation after nearly three hours and cleared the buildings from protesters.
Hours later, Bolsonaro who is in Florida posted a Tweet saying peaceful demonstrations were a part of democracy but that any invasion of public buildings crossed the line, he rejected Lula’s claims that he was behind instigating the protesters and called the allegations “baseless”.
Ibaneis Rocha, the Governor of Brasilia said that around 400 demonstrators were arrested and the authorities were trying to identify more people involved in the incidents. There were no reports of any deaths or injuries.
World leaders including U.S. President Joe Biden were quick to condemn the events calling them an “assault on Democracy”.
Following the incidents at the state capital, Brazilian oil giant Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) has increased security at its oil refineries across the country.
Supporters of Bolsonaro are protesting Lula’s election victory claiming that electronic voting machines were faulty, blocking roads and buildings, and even urged the military to intervene.
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