Bolsonaro supporters break into Brazilian Congress and presidential palace
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Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Sunday pledged to punish hundreds of supporters of the country's former leader Jair Bolsonaro after they stormed major government buildings, smashing windows and using furniture to form barricades against security forces.
In a news conference, Lula described events in the capital Brasilia 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 congressional building, the Supreme Court and the Planalto Presidential Palace.
"These people are everything that is abominable in politics," he said, adding that "all the people who did this will be found and punished."
participated in these terrorist acts this afternoon."
Speaking to reporters, Brazilian Justice Minister Flavio Dino described Sunday's events as "a coup" and said the government would strengthen security in the capital.
"There are still people on the internet saying that they are going to continue with terrorist acts. (But) they will not be able to destroy Brazilian democracy," he added.
Bolsonaro supporters protest at the Esplanada dos Ministerios in Brasília on January 8, 2023.
Bolsonaro supporters protest at the Esplanada dos Ministerios in BrasÃlia on January 8, 2023.
Paulo Pimenta, the Communications Minister, released a video Sunday evening of a walking tour of his office in the Planalto Palace. The video shows furniture overturned and offices along a corridor in disarray.
"I'm in my office on the second floor of the Planalto Palace, as you can see everything was destroyed," 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."
Supporters of Bolsonaro have been camped out in the capital since his election defeat. Justice Minister Dino had authorized the Armed Forces to set up the barriers and guard the congressional building Saturday due to the continued presence of pro-Bolsonaro supporters.