By Vihaan Majumdar
The capital of Brazil is reeling from an insurrection by supporters of former President Jair Bolsanaro, who stormed the city’s government buildings just one week after new president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was sworn into office. The presidential palace, congressional buildings, and the top court were all ransacked. It took hours for security forces to regain control of the area.
The election of 2022 has drawn comparisons to the 2020 US Presidential election, similar candidates in an equally polarizing election resulting in political violence by the losing side.
However, there are allegations of complicity among members of the police and politicians from Bolsanaro’s party.
President Lula was not in the palace at the time of the riots; instead he was in Sao Paulo, visiting a city destroyed by heavy rains. He returned later in the night and decreed federal intervention into Brasilia’s security, an extraordinary move that was later confirmed by Congress.
Hundreds of the rioters have since been arrested; however, thousands are still in the area. Lula has promised that everyone with any involvement would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
