Bolsonaro supporters storm Brazilian Congress

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro tweeted a photo of himself on a hospital bed in Orlando, Florida, on Monday, saying it was related to injuries from a 2018 knife attack during a political rally.

“After being stabbed in Juiz de Fora/MG, I underwent 5 surgeries,” Bolsonaro tweeted. “Since the last one, for 2x I had adhesions that led me to other medical procedures.”

He added that he was admitted to the hospital after suffering “new adherence.”

Bolsonaro left Brazil for the US on Dec. 30, 2022 — just two days before Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s inauguration — and was admitted into the Florida hospital after suffering from abdominal “discomfort,” according to an Instagram post from his wife Michelle Bolsonaro.  

Brazil police found five hand grenades on premises of the Supreme Court and Congress after the Sunday attacks on government buildings in Brasilia, Brazilian Sen. Randolfe Rodrigues  told CNN Brasil on Monday.

Rodrigues, who will be leading President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government in Congress, said three of the grenades were found in the Supreme Court and two in Congress.

In a tweet that he later deleted, the senator described the individuals behind the attacks as “terrorists” who wanted to destroy the Supreme Court, the Presidential Palace and Congress. 

In a separate tweet, he called on security forces to identify all those who were involved in the attacks on government buildings.

About 1,500 people have been arrested so far, following the chaos Sunday in Brazil’s capital, according to the country’s Justice Minister Flavio Dino.

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva criticized police conduct in the lead-up to and during the attacks on government buildings in Brasilia this weekend.

“The Brasilia police neglected [the attack threat], Brasilia’s intelligence neglected it,” Lula said during a meeting with governors on Monday. “It is easy to see in the footage the police officers talking to the attackers. There was an explicit connivance of the police with the demonstrators.”

Lula also described the attacks on government buildings as “coup acts,” and vowed to find out who financed them.

Meanwhile, the government has created an email address to allow the public to provide tips, according to Justice Minister Flavio Dino. At least 13,000 e-mails have been received so far, he said at a news conference Monday. 

The Federal Police has also received reinforcements from 10 states to protect ministries and government buildings, the justice minister added.

Brazil’s Justice Minister Flávio Dino said former President Jair Bolsonaro bears “political responsibility” for Sunday’s attacks on government institutions in the country’s capital Brasília, but added there were no legal grounds to investigate him in connection with the riots at this time.

“Words have power and those words turned into hate, which turned into destruction,” Dino said during a news conference on Monday. “It is a political responsibility because there are political leaders who are responsible for the hate speech and the destruction that we saw yesterday at the buildings of the three branches of powers, aiming at a coup d’état.” 

The minister said there are “no elements to advance in a sphere of legal responsibility” yet against Bolsonaro. 

“But in a political analysis, the entire Brazilian nation knows that in all these years in presidency, Bolsonaro and everyone who follows him has in recent years uttered frequent [verbal] attacks against the Supreme Court,” he said.

Bolsonaro left Brazil for the US on Dec. 30, 2022 — just two days before President Lula’s inauguration — and is currently in a Florida hospital suffering from abdominal “discomfort,” according to his wife Michelle Bolsonaro in an Instagram post.  

Bolsonaro routinely attacked and discredited Brazil’s electoral system, the country’s Supreme Court, and left-wing voters and leadership during the course of his presidency. He also never explicitly conceded to Lula’s election win last October.

The former president did, however, take to Twitter on Sunday to criticize the attacks on government buildings and insist he had always acted within the bounds of the Constitution.

“Peaceful demonstrations, respecting the law, are part of democracy. However, depredations and invasions of public buildings as occurred today, as well as those practiced by the left in 2013 and 2017, escape the rule,” Bolsonaro said.

He continued, saying “Throughout my mandate, I have always been acting according to the Constitution, respecting and defending the laws, democracy, transparency and our sacred freedom.”

“Furthermore, I repudiate the accusations, without evidence, attributed to me by the current chief executive of Brazil,” the former president said.

President Joe Biden spoke by phone with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Monday following an attack on government buildings in Brazil.

During the call, Biden reiterated that Lula won the most recent Brazilian presidential election, according to a readout. He also invited the Brazilian president to Washington, DC, which Lula accepted and will visit “in “early February for in-depth consultations on a wide-ranging shared agenda.”

“President Biden conveyed the unwavering support of the United States for Brazil’s democracy and for the free will of the Brazilian people as expressed in Brazil’s recent presidential election, which President Lula won,” said the readout, provided by the White House. “President Biden condemned the violence and the attack on democratic institutions and on the peaceful transfer of power.”

Biden and Lula, “pledged to work closely together on the issues confronting the United States and Brazil, including climate change, economic development, and peace and security.”

In a tweet on his official account, Lula thanked Biden for his “concern and solidarity and his willingness to maintain a permanent dialogue between our countries to strengthen democracy.”

Brazilian authorities, security and staff worked Monday to cleanup and assess the damage left behind after hundreds of supporters of former leader Jair Bolsonaro stormed government buildings to protest against his successor and rival, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Here are some photos of the aftermath:

Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday condemned the “obvious and clear attack on a democratic process” in Brazil after hundreds of supporters of the country’s former leader Jair Bolsonaro stormed the seats of power in the capital Brasilia.

“Let’s be clear, this was an obvious and clear attack on a democratic process and we condemn it of course,” Harris said to reporters in her ceremonial office, after swearing in the US’ newest ambassador to Brazil Elizabeth Frawley Bagley. 

“I will also say that, as I’ve said to the ambassador, Ambassador Bagley, that I’m very confident in her ability to represent the United States and to extend to President Lula all that we mean in terms of the work that we will do together as allies on some of the most important issues facing our world. So we’re very much looking forward to her leadership and to working with President Lula,” she added. 

Harris ignored a question on whether Bolsonaro should be removed from the US as he currently remains in Florida.

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price would not confirm that former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro had entered the United States on an A1 visa — which is granted to heads of state and only valid while they are in that position.

Price added that if such a visa holder “is no longer engaged in official business on behalf of their government, it is incumbent on that visa holder to depart the US or to request a change to another immigration status within 30 days.”

He said that request has to be made to the Department of Homeland Security, adding that “if an individual has no basis on which to be in the United States, an individual is subject to removal by the Department of Homeland Security.”

“I am of course, not going to comment on the visa records of any individual, individual visa records, as you know, are confidential, and we wouldn’t speak to the status of any particular individual,” Price said at a State Department briefing Monday.

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was admitted to a hospital on Monday, his wife said in a post on her official Instagram account.

Bolsonaro was admitted for abdominal “discomfort” related to injuries from a 2018 knife attack during a political rally, Michelle Bolsonaro said. The former president has been hospitalized several times over the years due to the effects of his knife injury.

It comes after hundreds of supporters of Bolsonaro stormed the seats of power in the capital Brasilia, trashing offices and drawing condemnation from the government and the international community Sunday.

The breaches happened a week after the inauguration of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who returned to power after a 12-year hiatus following a victory over Bolsonaro in a run-off election at the end of October.

An ally of the former president tells CNN Brasil that Bolsonaro had been feeling discomfort on Sunday night and that he is hospitalized in the Orlando area where he has been visiting for over a week.

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that Bolsonaro departed Brazil on Dec. 30.

The United States has “not yet received any requests for information or for action” related to the Brazilian investigation into Sunday’s attacks on government institutions in the nation’s capital, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Monday.

“Brazil’s democratic institutions have our full support,” Price said at a State Department briefing. “As we always are, we are standing by for any requests for assistance from our Brazilian partners, from Brazilian authorities, whether those come through diplomatic channels, whether they come through law enforcement channels, and we will of course respond to those requests as appropriate.” 

“The United States and Brazil, we are close partners. We work together day to day on any number of matters and issues, and oftentimes those are matters of law enforcement. We have well-honed processes in place to cooperate where requests are made for information or potentially for action on the part of Brazil to the United States. In this case, we have not yet received any requests for information or for action,” he added.

Several US lawmakers have called for the extradition of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has been residing in Florida since shortly before the inauguration of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

More than a thousand people were arrested following Sunday’s protests in Brazil’s capital, Brazilian Justice Minister Flávio Dino told reporters Monday in Brasilia.

Dino said there were “about 1,500” arrests in Brasilia — at least 209 were arrested Sunday and “about 1,200” Monday in the area where protesters were camped out near the army’s headquarters, according to Dino.

Brazilian authorities have dismantled a camp set up in Brasilia by supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro and protesters have been arrested, according to Ricardo Cappelli, secretary for the Ministry of Justice.

Cappelli said the camp, which was set up as a de-facto headquarters for the “anti-democratic” attacks on Sunday, was dismantled, the barricades removed, and protesters won’t be allowed back in the area.

The official said people in the area were sent to police headquarters. He added that the “law will be followed.”

Aerial images showed several buses carrying protesters lining the streets of Brasilia on their way to federal police buildings.

After several protesters were seen wearing Brazil’s emblematic yellow and green colors, including several versions of the national soccer team’s canary yellow jersey Sunday, the Brazilian Football Confederation said the jersey should not be used in “antidemocratic” acts.

In statements posted to its official Twitter and Instagram accounts, the Brazilian Football Confederation said “the Brazilian national team’s jersey is a symbol of joy for our people. It is to cheer, celebrate and love our country.”

The Brazilian Football Confederation also said it has no political affiliation, adding that it “encourages the jersey be used to unite and not separate Brazilians.” Brazil’s football governing body said it “vehemently condemns its use in antidemocratic or vandalism acts.”

Several artworks belonging to Brazil’s artistic and architectural collection were destroyed during Sunday’s riots in the capital, Brasilia, according to a statement from the President’s office.

The damaged pieces include Jorge Eduardo’s 1995 painting “Bandeira do Brasil” which was found floating in the water; the $1.5m painting “As Mulatas” from Emiliano Di Cavalcanti was ripped in seven different places; the bronze sculpture “O Flautista” from Bruno Giorgi was “completely destroyed” into pieces, and is worth $47,000; the Frans Krajcberg wall sculpture worth $56,000 was also broken; and the Balthazar Martinot, an XVII century pendulum clock — a gift from the French Court to King Dom João VI — was completely destroyed and its value is “out of the ordinary.”

 Carvalho says it might be possible to restore some of the damaged pieces. 

“The collection is the representation of all the presidents that represented the Brazilian people during this long period. This is its historical value. From the artistic point of view, the Planalto [palace] certainly has one of the most important collections in the country, especially of the Brazilian Modernism,” he said.

The Brazilian presidency says it still has not been able to ascertain the full extent of the damage.

At least 70 people were injured and needed medical attention as supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro attacked Brazil’s federal government buildings Sunday afternoon, according to the country’s health secretary.

Six people were severely injured and taken to hospitals, but no one has died, the federal district health secretary’s press team told CNN.

Journalists and police officers were among the injured.

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s nephew, Leonardo Rodrigues de Jesus – known as “Leo Indio” — has been identified among the protesters who participated in the storming of the Brazilian capital.

Indio posted several videos and photos on his personal Instagram Sunday, which showed him standing in the crowd surrounding the Brazilian Congress.

In one selfie photo, Indio appears with a green t-shirt and black cap with his eyes visibly red.

In a recently edited caption, Indio says his eyes were red due to tear gas “fired by security forces” who “focused their attention on all the protesters.” He also denied being involved in “any vandalism” in the post and claimed those responsible for destroying the government buildings “were masked vandals and the cowards who were dressed up as patriots.”

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres says he is “shocked” by supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro storming Brazil’s government buildings Sunday.

“Of course I was shocked by what I saw, but I must tell you I trust Brazil, I trust Brazilian institutions and I am absolutely convinced that Brazil will deal with this situation with adequate accountability, and that the democratic functioning of Brazil will move on,” Guterres told reporters while attending the International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan in Geneva Monday. “And I am totally confident that Brazil will be at the level necessary to deal with this,” he added.

Brazil’s highest government powers have denounced the riots in Brasilia on Sunday, calling them acts of “terrorism, vandalism, criminal and coup-like,” according to a statement signed by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Acting President of the Senate Veneziano Vital do Rego, President of the Chamber of Deputies Arthur Lira and President of the Supreme Court Rosa Weber.

“We are united so that institutional measures are taken, in the terms of the Brazilian laws. We call on society to maintain its calm, in defense of peace and democracy in our nation,” the letter posted on social media said.

“The country needs normality, respect and work for the nation’s progress and social justice,” the message concluded.

Brazil is waking up to the aftermath of Sunday’s riots, when supporters of ex-President Jair Bolsonaro charged major government buildings in the nation’s capital.

Here are the latest developments:

Brazil was reeling Monday after hundreds of supporters of the country’s former leader Jair Bolsonaro stormed the seats of power in the capital Brasilia, trashing offices and drawing condemnation from the government and the international community.

The breaches came a week after the inauguration of Lula da Silva, who returned to power after a 12-year hiatus following a victory over Bolsonaro in a runoff election on October 30.

Sunday’s events bore similarities to the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the US Capitol in Washington DC, when supporters of ex-US President Donald Trump – a close ally of Bolsonaro – stormed Congress in an effort to prevent the certification of his election defeat.

And like that event, the riot followed months of incendiary remarks from Bolsonaro about the legitimacy of Brazil’s elections and of Lula’s electoral victory. The two ex-leaders employed eerily similar playbooks before, during and after their electoral defeats, leading to concerns in each country about how robustly their electoral processes and democratic institutions would hold up.

There were also differences – namely that lawmakers were not present when protesters charged major government buildings in Brasilia, and Bolsonaro was not in the country.

Read the full story here.

Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro who had camped out in the capital Brasilia after violent rioters stormed major federal buildings Sunday have started to leave the area.

They were seen packing their tents and heading for buses parked outside the Military Headquarters in the city, after Bolsonaro backers stormed the congressional building, the Supreme Court and the Planalto Presidential Palace to protest against his successor, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

At least 400 people have been arrested following the unrest, according to Brazilian authorities.

It came after the Minister of the Supreme Federal Court of Brazil, Alexandre de Moraes, ordered the armed forces on Sunday to dismantle all Bolsonaro supporters’ camps across the country within 24 hours, calling for police to arrest and imprison any protesters still left in the camps, according to the Federal Supreme Court. 

A heavy police and military contingent circled the informal camps as protesters left on Monday, without arresting anyone. CNN has reached out to the Federal District Security Department for comment. 

The country’s justice minister, Flávio Dino, said Monday that everyone who “participated in or financed serious crimes this Sunday” are being identified and everyone will “face justice” as soon as Monday or the coming days. Dino added that authorities have identified the license plates of the buses who brought “criminals” to Brasília.

“Many have been apprehended and others will be,” the minister added.

Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro broke into the country’s congressional building, Supreme Court and presidential palace on Sunday, January 8.

Police have since cleared the massive crowds from government buildings and made at least 400 arrests. The breaches come about a week after the inauguration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who defeated Bolsonaro in a runoff election on October 30.

Bolsonaro challenged the election results and has not explicitly conceded, though he said he would cooperate with the transition of power.

Here are some of the most striking photos from Sunday’s events:

Moscow has condemned “the actions of the instigators of the riots” in Brazil, after supporters of the former leader Jair Bolsonaro stormed major buildings in the capital Brasilia Sunday.

“We fully support the President of Brazil, (Luiz Inácio) Lula da Silva, in his actions aimed at restoring order in the country and the rule of law,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

“As you know, President (Vladimir) Putin recently congratulated his Brazilian counterpart, and we continue to appreciate the efforts of Mr. da Silva to develop bilateral relations,” Peskov added.

Putin, who is leading Russia’s war on Ukraine, sent congratulations to Lula da Silva after he defeated Bolsonaro in a runoff election on October 30.

“The vote’s results confirm your high political authority,” Putin said in a message reported by Russian state news agency TASS.

The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) denounced “acts of violence” against the Brazilian government, after supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro charged key federal buildings across the capital Sunday.

“It is important to respect the results of elections and the democratic processes that reflect the will of the people in the country,” the MFA said in a statement published Monday.

“We express our solidarity with the Government of President Lula da Silva and the Brazilian people in the face of these acts of violence,” the statement added.

Some context: A chorus of global leaders have criticized the chaotic scenes Sunday, when protesters smashed windows and used furniture to form barricades against security forces.

Among others, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned the “assault on Brazil’s democratic institutions,” while French President Emmanuel Macron said “the will of the Brazilian people and democratic institutions must be respected.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said the United States “must cease granting refuge” to former Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro, after his supporters stormed major government buildings Sunday in scenes reminiscent of the January 6 US Capitol riot two years ago.

The hundreds of protesters who swarmed the congressional building, the Supreme Court and the Planalto Presidential Palace in the capital Brasilia over the weekend “will be found and punished,” according to Brazil’s new President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Ocasio-Cortez condemned Sunday’s events and said she stood “in solidarity” with Lula da Silva’s administration.

“Nearly 2 years to the day the US Capitol was attacked by fascists, we see fascist movements abroad attempt to do the same in Brazil,” the New York Democrat tweeted Sunday.

“We must stand in solidarity with @LulaOficial’s democratically elected government.

“The US must cease granting refuge to Bolsonaro in Florida,” she added.

Lula da Silva returned to power and was inaugurated after he defeated Bolsonaro in a run-off election on Oct. 30, following a 12-year hiatus.

Bolsonaro denounced the actions of his supporters and his office previously said it was cooperating with the transition of power, but the far-right leader had stopped short of explicitly conceding his election loss, and left the country for the US prior to Lula da Silva’s inauguration.

Some context: Brazilian officials and world leaders also criticized the actions of demonstrators, which were evocative of Jan. 6, 2021, when rioters stormed the US Capitol in an effort to prevent the certification of the 2020 election and President Joe Biden’s win over former President Donald Trump.

US President Biden on Sunday condemned “the assault on democracy and the peaceful transfer of power in Brazil.”

“Brazil’s democratic institutions have our full support and the will of the Brazilian people must not be undermined,” Biden tweeted. He added that he looked forward to working with Lula da Silva.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has joined a chorus of world leaders condemning the attack on Brazil’s federal government on Sunday, describing it as an “assault on democracy.”

Other world leaders who have condemned the unrest in Brasilia include India’s Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden and French leader Emmanuel Macron.

At least 12 journalists were attacked when supporters of Brazil’s former leader Jair Bolsonaro stormed major government buildings in the capital Brasilia on Sunday, according to the Union of Professional Journalists in the Federal District. 

Earlier, the Brazilian Investigative Journalism Association (ABRAJI) reported that journalists had been physically attacked and said some reporters also had their equipment stolen by Bolsonaro supporters.

Among them was a photographer who was assaulted by protesters shouting they would “take over Brazil,” the statement from ABRAJI said.

ABRAJI recorded 77 attacks of political violence against the media in the country in the past two years “without the government and security forces taking adequate measures” to address violence by far-right groups, the statement added.

This post has been updated to reflect the latest figures.

Brazilian authorities say they have restored order in the capital Brasilia after hundreds of supporters of former leader Jair Bolsonaro stormed government buildings to protest against his successor and rival, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The breaches came about a week after the inauguration of Lula da Silva, who returned to power following a 12-year hiatus that ended when he defeated Bolsonaro in a run-off election in October.

Here’s the latest:

Riots in Brazil that culminated with pro-Bolsonaro protesters storming Congress on Sunday are now over, according to an official appointed by the president to manage the unrest.

In a tweet Monday, Federal District intervenor Ricardo Cappelli said the situation is “under control” in the region, which includes the capital Brasilia.

Some context: Cappelli was appointed intervenor on Sunday by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The role was created to manage the security situation in the Federal District following the attack by supporters of former leader Jair Bolsonaro on key government institutions.  

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack on Brazil’s federal government Sunday, calling for “democratic traditions” to be respected. 

“Deeply concerned about the news of rioting and vandalism against the State institutions in Brasilia,” Modi said in a Tweet Monday. “Democratic traditions must be respected by everyone. We extend our full support to the Brazilian authorities.”

Modi joins a chorus of world leaders in condemning the violence in Brazil’s capital.

US President Joe Biden said earlier that “the will of the Brazilian people must not be undermined.”

Brazilian Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes has ordered the military to dismantle all Bolsonaro supporters’ camps across the country within 24 hours and told police to arrest any protesters still on the streets, according to a court order.

“Absolutely nothing justifies the existence of full camps of terrorists, sponsored by various financiers and with the complacency of civil and military authorities in total subversion of necessary respect for the Federal Constitution,” the order reads.

At least 400 people have been arrested after supporters of former Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro stormed key government buildings in Brasilia Sunday, according to Brazilian authorities. Bolsonaro supporters had been camped out in the capital since his presidential election defeat in October.

Commanders from the armed forces, police and the defense minister will be held accountable in court if the camps are not dismantled, Moraes said, adding that all highways in the country must be cleared on Monday.

A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has ordered the governor of the country’s Federal District to temporarily leave his post following the unrest in Brasilia on Sunday.

Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes handed down a three-month suspension to Federal District Gov. Ibaneis Rocha, according to the Supreme Court.

It comes after supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro stormed government buildings in the capital.

Earlier, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said “a lack of security” had allowed Bolsonaro’s supporters to breach barriers set up by the Armed Forces outside the three branches of government

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Sunday he was at the Planalto Presidential Palace and the Supreme Court in Brasilia after supporters of his rival Jair Bolsonaro stormed government buildings.

“The coup plotters who promoted the destruction of public property in Brasilia are being identified and will be punished,” Lula da Silva posted on Facebook. “Tomorrow we resume work at the Planalto Palace. Always Democracy. Goodnight.”

Earlier, Lula described events in the capital as “barbaric” and said “a lack of security” had allowed Bolsonaro’s “fascist” supporters to breach barriers set up by the Armed Forces outside the three branches of government

“These people are everything that is abominable in politics,” he told a news conference.

At least 400 people have been arrested following the unrest, according to Brazilian authorities.

Facebook’s parent company Meta declared the unrest in Brazil a “violating event” on Sunday, adding it would “remove content that supports or praises” protesters who breached government buildings. 

“In advance of the election, we designated Brazil as a temporary high-risk location and have been removing content calling for people to take up arms or forcibly invade Congress, the Presidential palace and other federal buildings,” Meta spokesperson Andy Stone told CNN.
“We’re also designating this as a violating event, which means we will remove content that supports or praises these actions. We’re actively monitoring the situation and will continue removing content that violates our policies.”

Some context: Meta has in the past designated violent events, like terrorists attacks, school shootings, and the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol as so-called “violating events.” The policy allows the company to expedite content removal in these circumstances.

Brazil’s government will adopt more measures aimed at strengthening the capital of Brasília, Justice Minister Flávio Dino said Sunday.

Dino told reporters “there are still people on the internet saying that they are going to continue with terrorist acts. And they will not be able to destroy Brazilian democracy. They won’t.” 

He also described Sunday’s events in Brasília as “a coup.”

“We regret that the heritage of the Brazilian people has been squandered in a vile way. This is not about the continuity of the electoral process, it is about coup d’état, terrorism,” the minister said, while adding that “we are not going to accept the path of criminality to carry out a political struggle in Brazil. Criminals will be treated like criminals.”

Dino went on to say “this will never happen again in this country because there is unity among the institutions to guarantee social peace and act against terrorism.” 

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres joined other world leaders Sunday in condemning the Bolsonaro supporters’ breach of Brazil’s Supreme Court, Congress and presidential palace:

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro denounced the “depredations and invasions of public buildings” in Brasília, after his supporters stormed key government buildings Sunday.

Police say they have since cleared the crowds from the country’s Supreme Court, the presidential palace and the congressional building.

Bolsonaro tweeted that “peaceful demonstrations, respecting the law, are part of democracy.”

“However, depredations and invasions of public buildings as occurred today, as well as those practiced by the left in 2013 and 2017, escape the rule,” he continued. “Throughout my mandate, I have always been acting according to the Constitution, respecting and defending the laws, democracy, transparency and our sacred freedom.”

Some context: While Bolsonaro has said he would cooperate with the peaceful transition of power, he has also declined to explicitly concede his election loss in October.

The election came amid a tense and polarized political climate in Brazil, which has been struggling with high inflation, limited growth and rising poverty.

In the weeks since Bolsonaro’s loss, thousands of his supporters have gathered at military barracks across the country, asking the army to step in as they claim, with no evidence, that the election was stolen.

At least 400 people have been arrested after pro-Bolsonaro supporters stormed key government buildings in Brazil’s capital, said Ibaneis Rocha, the governor of the country’s Federal District.

Rocha tweeted that those arrested “will pay for the crimes committed.”

Brazil’s capital, Brasília, is part of the Federal District. It is home to the country’s Congress and Supreme Court buildings, and the presidential palace, which were all stormed Sunday.

The three main government buildings — the Supreme Court, the presidential palace and the congressional building — involved in today’s breach have been cleared of protesters, police said Sunday, according to CNN Brasil.

At least 170 people have been arrested since pro-Bolsonaro supporters stormed the building, CNN Brasil reports, citing Federal District Civil Police.

A senior government official vowed to punish those involved.

“I’m in the field, walking on the streets and personally commanding the security forces, fulfilling the mission I received from the President of the Republic. Nobody will go unpunished. The democratic rule of law will not be walled up by criminals,” Executive Secretary of the Brazilian Justice Minister Ricardo Cappelli said.

“Today is sad day for the Brazilian nation,” Valdemar Costa Neto, head of Jair Bolsonaro´s right-wing Liberal Party, said in a statement after pro-Bolsonaro supporters broke into key government buildings.

“We cannot agree with the depredation of the National Congress. All ordered manifestations are legitimate,” the statement continues. “Disorder has never been part of the principles of our nation. I want to say to you that we strongly condemn this type of attitude. And that the law must be fulfilled, strengthening our democracy.”

Some context: While the party’s candidate has said he would cooperate with the peaceful transition of power, he has also declined to explicitly concede his election loss in October.

The election came amid a tense and polarized political climate in Brazil, which has been struggling with high inflation, limited growth and rising poverty.

In the weeks since Bolsonaro’s loss, thousands of his supporters have gathered at military barracks across the country, asking the army to step in as they claim, with no evidence, that the election was stolen.

The communications minister for Brazil’s president published a video giving a walking tour of his office in the Planalto Palace after pro-Bolsonaro supporters vandalized it on Sunday.

“I’m in my office on the second floor of the Planalto Palace. As you can see everything was destroyed,” Paulo Pimenta says in the video. “This is a criminal thing that was done here, this is a revolting thing. Works of art … Look what the vandals did here, the chaos the vandals made here. Destroyed works of art, the country’s heritage.”

The video shows furniture overturned and offices along a corridor in disarray. 

Pimenta added that it is “unbelievable what has been done in the Palace. Look at the state of the room, equipment, computers. Look here … they are marginals, who have to be treated as criminals who did this against democracy and against Brazil.”

Watch the clip below:

In a tweet Sunday, US President Joe Biden condemned supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro after they breached security barriers and gained access to the country’s congressional building, the Supreme Court and the Presidential Palace. 

During a visit to the US-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas earlier Sunday, Biden had called the situation in Brazil, “outrageous.”

Today’s riots come about a week after the inauguration of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who defeated Jair Bolsonaro in a runoff election on Oct. 30 and now returns to power after a 12-year hiatus.

The election came amid a tense and polarized political climate in Brazil, which has been struggling with high inflation, limited growth and rising poverty.

In the weeks since Bolsonaro’s loss, thousands of his supporters have gathered at military barracks across the country, asking the army to step in as they claim, with no evidence, that the election was stolen.

The former president’s claims: Bolsonaro alleged that some voting machines malfunctioned in the runoff contest with Lula. He issued a petition to annul ballots from the election.

The head of Brazil’s electoral court rejected that petition as “ludicrous and illicit” and “ostensibly conspiratorial toward the democratic rule of law.”

In his ruling, Alexandre De Moraes, Chief Justice of the Supreme Electoral Court Alexandre, said all models of electronic ballots were “perfectly identifiable in a clear, secure and integral way.”

Bolsonaro’s administration said it would cooperate with the transition of power, but the far-right leader has stopped short of explicitly conceding his election loss, and he left the country for the United States prior to Lula’s inauguration.

Bolsonaro supporters have been camped out in the capital since then. Justice Minister Flavio Dino authorized the Armed Forces to set up barriers and guard the congressional building Saturday due to the continued presence of Bolsonaro supporters. But the crowd breached those defenses Sunday.

Earlier violence: In the time since Bolsonaro declined to explicitly concede his election loss, there have been other instances of violence in Brazil.

A man was arrested in Brasília after he was caught trying to get into Lula’s inauguration party carrying a knife and fireworks, the State Police of the Federal District said in a statement.

Police also arrested a man on suspicion of planting and possessing explosive devices at Brasília International Airport.

The suspect, identified as 54-year-old gas station manager George Washington de Oliveira Sousa, is a Bolsonaro supporter and told police in a statement, seen by CNN, that he intended to “create chaos” so as to prevent Lula from taking office.

Bolsonaro condemned Sousa’s bombing attempt, saying “there is no justification” for a “terrorist act.”

Brazilian Federal Public Defender (AGU) asked the country’s Supreme Court to issue an arrest order for Federal District Public Security secretariat Anderson Torres and “other public agents responsible for acts and omissions” following the breach of Brazilian federal buildings on Sunday.

Torres, who was the Justice Minister under Former President Jair Bolsonaro, was appointed to the Federal District office by current governor Ibaneis Rocha but was dismissed after Bolsonaro supporters entered the Congress, Supreme Court and presidential palace buildings on Sunday. The Federal District is where Brasília is located.

The AGU also requested in a public note the “immediate evacuation of all federal public buildings across the country, and the dissolution of anti-democratic acts carried out in the vicinity of barracks and other military units.”

Governments from around the world are expressing their support for Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Spain expressed its “unconditional support” to Lula after supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro breached security barriers set up by the Armed Forces on Sunday and gained access to the country’s congressional building, the Supreme Court and the Planalto Presidential Palace.

In a government statement, Spain said: “The Government of Spain expresses its unconditional support for President Luis Ignacio Lula da Silva, democratically elected by the Brazilian people and proclaimed the legitimate President of the country by the competent electoral bodies of Brazil.”

“We wish to express our rejection of any initiative or attitude that questions the Brazilian democratic process by sectors that do not want to accept the results emanating from the will of the people of Brazil,” the statement concluded. 

Meanwhile, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also expressed his solidarity by tweeting Lula a message of support over the incident. 

“All my support to the president Lula da Silva and to the institutions freely and democratically elected by the Brazilian people,” Sánchez tweeted. 

“We strongly condemn the assault on the Brazilian Congress and call for an immediate return to democratic normality,” he added. 

Portugal’s government issued a statement on Sunday condemning “the acts of violence and disorder that took place today in Brasilia.”

“The Portuguese government condemns the acts of violence and disorder that took place today in Brasilia, reiterating its unequivocal support to the Brazilian authorities in restoring order and legality,” the statement said.

“The Government conveys its full solidarity with the Presidency of the Republic of Brazil, the Congress and the Federal Supreme Court, whose buildings were violated in the anti-democratic demonstrations that took place this afternoon,” the statement concluded.

French President Emmanuel Macron joined other world leaders in sending their support to President Lula on Sunday.

“The will of the Brazilian people and democratic institutions must be respected! President Lula da Silva can count on the unconditional support of France,” Macron tweeted.

Brazil’s Federal District Military Police (PMDF) have begun dispersing pro-Bolsonaro protesters inside Brasília’s government buildings, according to a statement from the PMDF.

Those identified as taking part in “acts of vandalism” are being taken to the police station, the PMDF said.

Approximately 30 protesters have been arrested, according to CNN Brasil, which also aired videos showing buses of arrested protesters.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan condemned the violence in Brazil’s capital, Brasília, by Bolsonaro supporters after they stormed several federal government buildings. 

“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 tweeted. 

A National Security Council spokesperson said Biden has been briefed on the situation and will continue to receive briefings. 

While touring the US-Mexico border, Biden answered some brief questions from the traveling pool and said the situation in Brazil is “outrageous.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also weighed in, saying that the US urges an immediate end to the violence.

“We condemn the attacks on Brazil’s Presidency, Congress, and Supreme Court today. Using violence to attack democratic institutions is always unacceptable. We join @lulaoficial in urging an immediate end to these actions,” Blinken tweeted.

The sprinkler system was activated after protesters inside of the Brazilian Congress building attempted to set fire to the carpet, according to CNN Brasil.

Video shows the floor of the building being flooded with water from the sprinklers.

Additional video on CNN Brasil shows protesters inside the building taking gifts received from international delegations and destroying artwork. 

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva described the events taking place in Brasília as “barbaric” and called the Bolsonaro protesters who breached the government buildings “fascists.”

“These people are everything that is abominable in politics, to invade the government headquarters, the headquarters of Congress and the headquarters of the Supreme Court like true vandals destroying everything in their path,” Lula said.

Lula also said there was a “lack of security” and said “all the people who did this will be found and punished.”

The president held the press conference in Araraquara, Brazil, where he had been surveying areas damaged by heavy floods.

Brazil’s Attorney General’s office (MPF) says it is investigating all involved in the breaching of the country’s congressional building, the Supreme Court and the Planalto Presidential Palace on Sunday.

The MPF said in a statement:

“The Attorney General of the Republic, Augusto Aras, monitors and follows with concern the acts of vandalism to public buildings that occur in Brasília this Sunday.
Aras maintains permanent contact with the authorities and has adopted initiatives that are incumbent on the institution to prevent the sequence of acts of violence.
Among the measures taken today, the attorney general requested the Attorney General’s Office in the Federal District (PRDF) to immediately open a criminal investigation procedure aimed at holding those involved accountable. In addition, Augusto Aras maintained contact with the attorney general of Justice of the Federal District and Territories, Georges Seigneur, so that he could act in the external control of police activity in the DF.”

A male protester was seen sitting at the desk of Brazil’s Congress president on Sunday after pro-Bolsonaro supporters broke into the lower house’s building.

Video footage from Brazilian media showed pro-Bolsonaro supporters going through the palace and holding up Brazilian flags in a large window to groups of supporters who are on the ground.

CNN Brasil is airing pictures of anti-riot police and Brazilian Armed Forces arriving at the Planalto Presidential Palace.

Scenes showing confrontations with police have been surfacing across Brazilian media after pro-Bolsonaro supporters breached security barriers and broke into Congress Sunday.

While President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is not currently in the building, a team assembled for the newly-elected president was working inside the palace at the time the protesters entered, CNN Brasil reports. Officials at Planalto Palace (the presidential home) are waiting for the Air Force to evacuate them from the building, according to CNN Brasil.

CNN’s Maija Ehlinger and Marcia Reverdosa contributed reporting

The US Embassy in Brazil issued a warning to US citizens to avoid the areas surrounding the country’s government buildings in Brasilia.

“Media and police report that an antidemocratic protest has turned violent and is now occupying areas of central Brasilia including the Brazilian National Congress and areas surrounding the Plaza of the Three Powers. Brazilian police forces are responding.  U.S. citizens are warned to avoid the area until further notice,” according to the written statement, which was sent to US citizens in Brazil via email.

The embassy issued similar warnings on its official Twitter account in English and Portuguese.  

See the tweets:

Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro breached security barriers set up by the Armed Forces on Sunday and gained access to the country’s congressional building, the Supreme Court and the Planalto Presidential Palace, according to images shown in Brazilian media.

Footage showed massive crowds in the capital of Brasília walking up a ramp that leads to the congressional building, where they had reached the Green Room, located outside the lower House of Congress’ chamber, Interim Senate President Veneziano Vital do Rogo told CNN Brasil.

Other outlets showed Bolsonaro supporters entering the Supreme Court and the presidential palace, where CNN Brasil showed the arrival of anti-riot police and the Brazilian Armed Forces

The breaches come about a week after the inauguration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whose return to power after a 12-year hiatus comes after he defeated Bolsonaro in a runoff election on October 30.

Supporters of Bolsonaro – who left Brazil prior to the inauguration and is currently in the United States – have been camped out in the capital since then. Justice Minister Flavio Dino had authorized the Armed Forces to set up the barriers and guard the congressional building Saturday due to the continued presence of Bolsonaro supporters.

Neither house of Congress is currently in session. And while President Lula is not currently in the building, a team assembled for the newly-elected president was working inside the palace at the time the protesters entered, CNN Brasil reported. Officials at Planalto Palace are waiting for the Air Force to evacuate them from the building, per CNN Brasil.

Dino, who said he was at the Ministry of Justice headquarters, condemned the actions of Bolsonaro’s supporters in a statement on Twitter, saying, “This absurd attempt to impose the will by force will not prevail.”

Federal District Security Secretary Anderson Torres – and the former justice minister under Bolsonaro’s government – similarly called the scenes “regrettable,” adding that he had ordered “immediate steps to restore order in the center of Brasília.”

Gleisi Hoffman, president of the Worker’s Party, called the breaches “a crime announced against democracy” and “against the will of the polls.”