SAO PAULO – Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is in the United States, this Sunday mildly condemned the attempted coup sponsored by his radical supporters, which invaded the headquarters of the three powers in Brasilia.
“Peaceful demonstrations within the law are part of democracy. However, vandalism and invasions of public buildings, as happened today, as well as those practiced by the left in 2013 and 2017, escape the rule,” the ex-president stated on his social networks.
In his message, the retired army captain, who left power on January 1, dismissed “the accusations without evidence” of the current head of state, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who this Sunday accused his predecessor of “initiating the coup acts”. . its most radical followers.
“Throughout my tenure, I have always upheld the four lines of the Constitution and defended the laws, democracy, transparency and our sacred freedom,” said the leader of Brazil’s far-right.
Bolsonaro, who is still not openly admitting defeat in the Oct. 30 election, traveled to the United States with no official plan for his return two days before Lula took office.
From the holding of the elections until his departure for Orlando, the now ex-governor locked himself in the official residence and minimized his public actions while his most radical supporters blocked several of the country’s main highways or encouraged serious riots in Brasilia on the eve of the inauguration of the lula
This Sunday, thousands of these radicals, who for weeks outside the barracks have been asking for intervention by the armed forces to overthrow Lula and restore Bolsonaro to power, have invaded the headquarters of Congress, the Presidency and the Supreme Court and have destroyed them .
Hundreds of supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stormed the headquarters of the National Congress this Sunday to demand military intervention to overthrow President Lula da Silva.
The putschists caused great damage in these buildings and were only driven out by security forces four hours later.
According to Justice Minister Flávio Dino, “almost 200” of them have been arrested so far.
For his part, Lula vowed to identify and punish the “fascist vandals” who “destroyed everything in their path” in Brasilia and ordered federal intervention in the security perimeter of the Brazilian capital by January 31.
The measure means that Brasilia’s police forces are now under the direct control of the central government.