Brazil Police Retake Congress After Bolsonaro Supporters Storm Building, Biden Calls Situation ‘Outrageous’

Brazilian security forces regained control of the national Congress building even as the operation is underway to evacuate rioters from the Supreme Court headquarters and Planalto presidential palace.

Supporters of Brazilian former President Jair Bolsonaro destroy a window of the the plenary of the Supreme Court in Brasilia on January 8, 2023.

Source : AFP

New Delhi: Brazilian security forces regained control of the national Congress building on Sunday after supporters of far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro stormed inside and invaded the legislative chambers.

The operation is underway to evacuate rioters from the Supreme Court headquarters and Planalto presidential palace, which pro-Bolsonaro supporters also invaded in protests against the inauguration of leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, according to the news agency AFP.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visited the ransacked presidential palace, Congress, and Supreme Court after the incident, AFP reported citing TV network Globo.

Jair Bolsonaro condemns ‘pillaging and invasions of public buildings’

Responding to the attack, former president Jair Bolsonaro condemned "pillaging and invasions of public buildings" on Sunday, according to AFP.

Bolsonaro dismissed the claims of the new President as "baseless" that he incited the invasion of the seat of power in Brasilia. On Twitter, the ex-president, who left Brazil for the US state of Florida last month on the second-to-last day of his term, also defended the right to "peaceful protests."

'US condemns effort to undermine democracy in Brazil': Biden

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden called the situation in Brazil "outrageous". US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the United States condemns any effort to undermine democracy in Brazil.

President Biden is following the situation closely and our support for Brazil's democratic institutions is unwavering. Brazil's democracy will not be shaken by violence," Sullivan said on Twitter.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Twitter that the United States joined Lula in calling for an immediate end to the attacks. The violence mirrored the incident in which the US Capitol was seized by supporters of former President Donald Trump two years ago.

Leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who defeated Bolsonaro in one of the toughest elections in a generation last year, went on to declare a federal security intervention in Brasilia lasting until January 31 after capital security forces initially were overwhelmed by the invaders.