Brazil. Jair Bolsonaro condemned the assault of his supporters on state institutions

Thousands of supporters of the former president broke through the security cordons on Sunday afternoon and attacked the buildings of Congress, the Supreme Court and the Planalto presidential palace.

Protesters broke windows, some of them burst into the Senate hall, where they jumped on seats and benches. They also demolished the premises of the Supreme Court and the presidential palace, which was presented on social media by Minister Paulo Pimenta.

The services managed to regain control of the buildings after about four hours. According to information provided by the federal services, at least 400 people have been arrested.

Only a few hours after these events, Bolsonaro referred to the case. As he wrote on social media, “peaceful demonstrations, in a lawful form, are part of democracy”, “but the looting and invasion of public buildings that have taken place today, and were practiced by the left in 2013 and 2017, elude this rule”.

Throughout my mandate, I have always acted in accordance with the Constitution, respecting and defending the law, democracy, transparency and our sacred freedom.”

The former head of state also wrote that he rejected “accusations without evidence” made by President Lula on Sunday, accusing him of contributing to the invasion of government offices in Brasília.

New president Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was sworn in as president on January 1. His minimal victory (50.9 percent) was preceded by one of the most polarizing election campaigns in history. Not all of Jair Bolsonaro’s voters accepted the result – some of them, since the end of October, when the second round took place, camped out in front of the headquarters of the Brazilian military in the capital, initially hoping that the army would not allow Lula to be sworn in.

Camps of radical supporters of the former president have also grown in other parts of the country. How to deal with them from the beginning kept the new Brazilian administration awake at night. Justice Minister Flavio Dina has made himself known as a supporter of their removal by force, while Defense Minister Jose Mucio appealed for avoiding confrontation at all costs. On Monday, authorities began to dismantle an encampment in Belo Horizonte, the capital of the state of Minas Gerais, which led to riots.

The events in Brasilia bring to mind attack on the Capitolcommitted by supporters two years ago Donald Trump. However, unlike USAthe Brazilian Congress is currently on hiatus and will not resume work until February.

Former President Bolsonaro did not attend the swearing-in of his competitor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the October elections, thus avoiding the traditional handover of the presidential sash to him.

The right-wing politician has been in the USA since December 30, where he went with his wife and his closest associates. He declared that he would “return to the country soon”. Some Brazilian commentators claim that the discretion with which Bolsonaro planned his departure from the country may indicate that he fears that once the Lula administration takes power, he will become a target for persecution among the environment of the new, left-wing president of Brazil. On November 3, Bolsonaro acknowledged his defeat in the presidential election and also called on his supporters to end the massive roadblocks across the country.