Brazilian freedom protesters have stormed the congress, supreme court, and presidential palace to protest new leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who was inaugurated last week. The protesters say evidence shows Lula’s win against conservative Jair Bolsonaro was fraudulent.
Many outlets portrayed the protesters as violent and unreasonable. Calling it a “Brazilian mob,” the Guardian reported that “Hundreds of hardcore supporters of Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro have stormed the country’s congress, presidential palace and supreme court in a stunning security breach.” It called the breach “a worrying echo of the 6 January invasion of the US Capitol” but did not explain why the protesters are so angry.
Some protesters have urged Brazil’s military to intervene and replace Lula as head of the government. Bolsonaro himself came to Florida at the end of December. Former U.S. President Donald Trump has supported Bolsonaro and his policies in the past.
BREAKING 🇧🇷: Bolsonaristas are invading Congress en masse in Brasilia.
— David Adler (@davidrkadler) January 8, 2023
Multiple videos of the protest are circulating on social media, and new details will emerge soon.
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