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Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stormed the parliament building in the capital Brasilia on Sunday afternoon (local time). It is not clear if people worked in the building at the time.
The footage shows how a large group of Brazilians storm the building. According to Brazilian media, thousands of people are involved. Some of them are now also inside, where they cause destruction.
They vandalized the offices of legislators and used the speaker’s rostrum. Fires are raging here and there, according to images circulating on social networks.
There are a lot of gunshots outside the building, but it is not known if they are shots from the Brazilian security services. Either way, tear gas is used, so many stormers walk with handkerchiefs in front of their faces. Some protesters also managed to reach the roof of the building.
The President of the Brazilian Senate is late Twitter know that the local police are getting help from other police units. He says he firmly rejects “these anti-democratic acts”.
According to a photographer from the press agency AFP the scenes recall the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. Authorities had already cordoned off the area, but it proved unsuccessful. Video shows a crowd outside the building dragging a policeman off his horse and knocking him to the ground.
Nina Jurna, correspondent in Latin America, tells in news hour as the riot police try to eliminate the stormers. “It seems to take some time. It’s also unclear if the army will be deployed.”
The current president is not present in parliament
At the time of the storming, current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was working in São Paulo.
Bolsonaro supporters are asserting themselves in Brasilia because they won’t accept leftist Lula da Silva’s swearing-in a week ago. Bolsonaro himself has hardly spoken since losing the election in October. He did not congratulate the winner and never said he recognized the result. Bolsonaro has been in Florida since December 30.
Lula has just signed a decree. This gives the federal government the power to restore order. The decree applies throughout the month of January.
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