SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Supporters of outgoing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro riot following the ratification of President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's victory in Brasilia on December 12, 2022.
(Photo: Evaristo Sa/AFP via Getty Images)
Echoes of January 6 as Bolsonaro Supporters Torch Vehicles, Attempt to Storm Police HQ
"These people did not prevail today and they will not prevail tomorrow," said incoming Justice and Public Security Minister Flavio Dino.
Dec 13, 2022
Supporters of outgoing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro set fire to cars and buses and tried to breach federal police headquarters in the capital of Brasilia on Monday night.
The violence erupted hours after Brazil's electoral court officially ratified the victory of President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a celebrated leftist who defeated the far-right incumbent by more than 2.1 million votes in a runoff election in late October.
According to The Guardian, "Hardcore Bolsonaristas who want the result overturned rampaged through the heart of Brasilia, after a member of their radical group was arrested for allegedly trying to incite violence that would prevent Lula from being sworn in on January 1."
Jose Acacio Serere Xavante is the Bolsonaro fanatic who was detained after Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes accused him of organizing "anti-democratic acts" and issued an arrest warrant.
Reuters reported that Bolsonaro supporters confronted security forces outside police headquarters, while "police fired stun grenades and tear gas to disperse the crowd."
As The Guardian reported:
Footage posted on social media by bystanders and local journalists showed militant Bolsonaro supporters setting fire to a bus."The center of Brasilia... looks like a war zone," tweeted Alan Rios, a reporter from the local news website Metropoles, alongside images of the destruction. "Torched buses and cars, destroyed buildings and signposts, rubbish bins and gas canisters littering the floor after being used as weapons," Rios wrote.
Political commentator Thomas Traumann described the riot as an attempt to replicate the January 6, 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol, when supporters of then-President Donald Trump invaded the halls of Congress in a failed bid to prevent Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's win. "It won't work," Traumann tweeted, "but it's an attempt."
Widespread lies about the Brazilian presidential election being "stolen" have proliferated because Bolsonaro--a vocal admirer of Brazil's former U.S.-backed military dictatorship, in which he served as an army officer--and his inner circle spent months baselessly criticizing the country's electronic voting system and threatening to reject the results unless he won.
Taking a cue from Trump--whose unfounded but relentless assault on the integrity of mail-in ballots has convinced millions of Republican voters that Biden's 2020 victory was illegitimate and even provoked a deadly right-wing coup attempt--Bolsonaro and his allies preemptively claimed that Brazil's voting infrastructure was vulnerable to fraud and refused to commit to accepting a loss.
In the wake of his defeat on October 30, supporters of Bolsonaro blocked hundreds of roads across the country and urged the armed forces to intervene to keep him in power.
Two days after Lula's victory, Bolsonaro allowed the presidential transition process to move forward but refused to concede defeat to his leftist challenger. Three weeks ago, the lame-duck president officially contested his loss, citing a software bug in Brazil's electronic voting machines that independent experts say had no effect on the outcome of the race.
Justice de Moraes fined Bolsonaro for his "bad faith" challenge. Meanwhile, Lula's election team sued Bolsonaro, his running mate, and two of his sons last Thursday for attacking the country's voting system and attempting to bribe voters.
The next day, the outgoing president broke his post-election silence to tell his supporters that his political fate is in their hands.
"Who decides where I go are you," Bolsonaro told a crowd outside the gates of the presidential residence on Friday. "Who decides which way the armed forces go are you."
Some of Bolsonaro's most ardent backers have continued to demand a military coup to prevent Lula from taking office.
As Reuters reported Tuesday: "Hundreds of Bolsonaro supporters gathered outside the presidential residence on Monday afternoon with banners calling for 'military intervention.' The president joined them for a public prayer but did not address the crowd."
"There's not going to be an inauguration," said Jose Trindade, one of the Bolsonaro supporters in attendance. "Bolsonaro was re-elected, but they stole it. So only the army can put things in order."
Monday night's violent outburst, which was reportedly contained by Tuesday morning, has raised fears about the potential for more chaos between now and January 1, when Lula takes office in a public ceremony in the nation's capital.
"Sen. Randolfe Rodrigues, a key Lula aide, said there were concerns about the physical safety of Lula and Vice President-elect Geraldo Alckmin, as protesters had surrounded the hotel where he is staying in Brasilia," Reuters noted. "Lula's team denied reports that Lula would be removed from the hotel by helicopter. Brasilia's public security officials said they had secured the area around Lula's hotel, and urged motorists to avoid the center of the city where many roads had been closed."
Flavio Dino, whom Lula has appointed as Justice and Public Security Minister in his incoming administration, condemned "the depredation and attempted invasion of the federal police building in Brasilia," calling it "unacceptable."
In an attempt to reassure the Brazilian public on Monday night, Dino told reporters: "Are there, unfortunately, people who want anti-democratic and illegal chaos? Yes there are. But these people did not prevail today and they will not prevail tomorrow."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Kenny Stancil
Kenny Stancil is senior researcher at the Revolving Door Project and a former staff writer for Common Dreams.
Supporters of outgoing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro set fire to cars and buses and tried to breach federal police headquarters in the capital of Brasilia on Monday night.
The violence erupted hours after Brazil's electoral court officially ratified the victory of President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a celebrated leftist who defeated the far-right incumbent by more than 2.1 million votes in a runoff election in late October.
According to The Guardian, "Hardcore Bolsonaristas who want the result overturned rampaged through the heart of Brasilia, after a member of their radical group was arrested for allegedly trying to incite violence that would prevent Lula from being sworn in on January 1."
Jose Acacio Serere Xavante is the Bolsonaro fanatic who was detained after Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes accused him of organizing "anti-democratic acts" and issued an arrest warrant.
Reuters reported that Bolsonaro supporters confronted security forces outside police headquarters, while "police fired stun grenades and tear gas to disperse the crowd."
As The Guardian reported:
Footage posted on social media by bystanders and local journalists showed militant Bolsonaro supporters setting fire to a bus."The center of Brasilia... looks like a war zone," tweeted Alan Rios, a reporter from the local news website Metropoles, alongside images of the destruction. "Torched buses and cars, destroyed buildings and signposts, rubbish bins and gas canisters littering the floor after being used as weapons," Rios wrote.
Political commentator Thomas Traumann described the riot as an attempt to replicate the January 6, 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol, when supporters of then-President Donald Trump invaded the halls of Congress in a failed bid to prevent Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's win. "It won't work," Traumann tweeted, "but it's an attempt."
Widespread lies about the Brazilian presidential election being "stolen" have proliferated because Bolsonaro--a vocal admirer of Brazil's former U.S.-backed military dictatorship, in which he served as an army officer--and his inner circle spent months baselessly criticizing the country's electronic voting system and threatening to reject the results unless he won.
Taking a cue from Trump--whose unfounded but relentless assault on the integrity of mail-in ballots has convinced millions of Republican voters that Biden's 2020 victory was illegitimate and even provoked a deadly right-wing coup attempt--Bolsonaro and his allies preemptively claimed that Brazil's voting infrastructure was vulnerable to fraud and refused to commit to accepting a loss.
In the wake of his defeat on October 30, supporters of Bolsonaro blocked hundreds of roads across the country and urged the armed forces to intervene to keep him in power.
Two days after Lula's victory, Bolsonaro allowed the presidential transition process to move forward but refused to concede defeat to his leftist challenger. Three weeks ago, the lame-duck president officially contested his loss, citing a software bug in Brazil's electronic voting machines that independent experts say had no effect on the outcome of the race.
Justice de Moraes fined Bolsonaro for his "bad faith" challenge. Meanwhile, Lula's election team sued Bolsonaro, his running mate, and two of his sons last Thursday for attacking the country's voting system and attempting to bribe voters.
The next day, the outgoing president broke his post-election silence to tell his supporters that his political fate is in their hands.
"Who decides where I go are you," Bolsonaro told a crowd outside the gates of the presidential residence on Friday. "Who decides which way the armed forces go are you."
Some of Bolsonaro's most ardent backers have continued to demand a military coup to prevent Lula from taking office.
As Reuters reported Tuesday: "Hundreds of Bolsonaro supporters gathered outside the presidential residence on Monday afternoon with banners calling for 'military intervention.' The president joined them for a public prayer but did not address the crowd."
"There's not going to be an inauguration," said Jose Trindade, one of the Bolsonaro supporters in attendance. "Bolsonaro was re-elected, but they stole it. So only the army can put things in order."
Monday night's violent outburst, which was reportedly contained by Tuesday morning, has raised fears about the potential for more chaos between now and January 1, when Lula takes office in a public ceremony in the nation's capital.
"Sen. Randolfe Rodrigues, a key Lula aide, said there were concerns about the physical safety of Lula and Vice President-elect Geraldo Alckmin, as protesters had surrounded the hotel where he is staying in Brasilia," Reuters noted. "Lula's team denied reports that Lula would be removed from the hotel by helicopter. Brasilia's public security officials said they had secured the area around Lula's hotel, and urged motorists to avoid the center of the city where many roads had been closed."
Flavio Dino, whom Lula has appointed as Justice and Public Security Minister in his incoming administration, condemned "the depredation and attempted invasion of the federal police building in Brasilia," calling it "unacceptable."
In an attempt to reassure the Brazilian public on Monday night, Dino told reporters: "Are there, unfortunately, people who want anti-democratic and illegal chaos? Yes there are. But these people did not prevail today and they will not prevail tomorrow."
Kenny Stancil
Kenny Stancil is senior researcher at the Revolving Door Project and a former staff writer for Common Dreams.
Supporters of outgoing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro set fire to cars and buses and tried to breach federal police headquarters in the capital of Brasilia on Monday night.
The violence erupted hours after Brazil's electoral court officially ratified the victory of President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a celebrated leftist who defeated the far-right incumbent by more than 2.1 million votes in a runoff election in late October.
According to The Guardian, "Hardcore Bolsonaristas who want the result overturned rampaged through the heart of Brasilia, after a member of their radical group was arrested for allegedly trying to incite violence that would prevent Lula from being sworn in on January 1."
Jose Acacio Serere Xavante is the Bolsonaro fanatic who was detained after Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes accused him of organizing "anti-democratic acts" and issued an arrest warrant.
Reuters reported that Bolsonaro supporters confronted security forces outside police headquarters, while "police fired stun grenades and tear gas to disperse the crowd."
As The Guardian reported:
Footage posted on social media by bystanders and local journalists showed militant Bolsonaro supporters setting fire to a bus."The center of Brasilia... looks like a war zone," tweeted Alan Rios, a reporter from the local news website Metropoles, alongside images of the destruction. "Torched buses and cars, destroyed buildings and signposts, rubbish bins and gas canisters littering the floor after being used as weapons," Rios wrote.
Political commentator Thomas Traumann described the riot as an attempt to replicate the January 6, 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol, when supporters of then-President Donald Trump invaded the halls of Congress in a failed bid to prevent Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's win. "It won't work," Traumann tweeted, "but it's an attempt."
Widespread lies about the Brazilian presidential election being "stolen" have proliferated because Bolsonaro--a vocal admirer of Brazil's former U.S.-backed military dictatorship, in which he served as an army officer--and his inner circle spent months baselessly criticizing the country's electronic voting system and threatening to reject the results unless he won.
Taking a cue from Trump--whose unfounded but relentless assault on the integrity of mail-in ballots has convinced millions of Republican voters that Biden's 2020 victory was illegitimate and even provoked a deadly right-wing coup attempt--Bolsonaro and his allies preemptively claimed that Brazil's voting infrastructure was vulnerable to fraud and refused to commit to accepting a loss.
In the wake of his defeat on October 30, supporters of Bolsonaro blocked hundreds of roads across the country and urged the armed forces to intervene to keep him in power.
Two days after Lula's victory, Bolsonaro allowed the presidential transition process to move forward but refused to concede defeat to his leftist challenger. Three weeks ago, the lame-duck president officially contested his loss, citing a software bug in Brazil's electronic voting machines that independent experts say had no effect on the outcome of the race.
Justice de Moraes fined Bolsonaro for his "bad faith" challenge. Meanwhile, Lula's election team sued Bolsonaro, his running mate, and two of his sons last Thursday for attacking the country's voting system and attempting to bribe voters.
The next day, the outgoing president broke his post-election silence to tell his supporters that his political fate is in their hands.
"Who decides where I go are you," Bolsonaro told a crowd outside the gates of the presidential residence on Friday. "Who decides which way the armed forces go are you."
Some of Bolsonaro's most ardent backers have continued to demand a military coup to prevent Lula from taking office.
As Reuters reported Tuesday: "Hundreds of Bolsonaro supporters gathered outside the presidential residence on Monday afternoon with banners calling for 'military intervention.' The president joined them for a public prayer but did not address the crowd."
"There's not going to be an inauguration," said Jose Trindade, one of the Bolsonaro supporters in attendance. "Bolsonaro was re-elected, but they stole it. So only the army can put things in order."
Monday night's violent outburst, which was reportedly contained by Tuesday morning, has raised fears about the potential for more chaos between now and January 1, when Lula takes office in a public ceremony in the nation's capital.
"Sen. Randolfe Rodrigues, a key Lula aide, said there were concerns about the physical safety of Lula and Vice President-elect Geraldo Alckmin, as protesters had surrounded the hotel where he is staying in Brasilia," Reuters noted. "Lula's team denied reports that Lula would be removed from the hotel by helicopter. Brasilia's public security officials said they had secured the area around Lula's hotel, and urged motorists to avoid the center of the city where many roads had been closed."
Flavio Dino, whom Lula has appointed as Justice and Public Security Minister in his incoming administration, condemned "the depredation and attempted invasion of the federal police building in Brasilia," calling it "unacceptable."
In an attempt to reassure the Brazilian public on Monday night, Dino told reporters: "Are there, unfortunately, people who want anti-democratic and illegal chaos? Yes there are. But these people did not prevail today and they will not prevail tomorrow."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.