ANALYSIS | Brazil Riots: What happened?
This is by far the worst assault on democracy since Brazil transitioned away from a military dictatorship in the 1980s.
The former president, Jair Bolsonaro, who lost last year’s presidential election narrowly to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had long claimed that Brazil’s election system was rotten with fraud, and that the entrenched elite was plotting to remove him from power. His supporters are convinced that a cabal of the “establishment”, elites, and the media had “stolen” the election.
It is well known that Bolsonaro is an admirer of the former US president and regularly borrows from his populist playbook. Bolsonaro has occasionally been called “Trump of the Tropics” as he shares many of Trump’s conservative views, and both former presidents refused to attend their successors’ inauguration.
Trump also championed Bolsonaro during his election bid last year, releasing a statement which claimed they were “great friends”. Trump added: “He fights hard for and loves the people of Brazil – just like I do for the people of the United States.”
After months of baseless claims of fraud, an angry mob of his supporters stormed Congress. They overwhelmed the police and vandalized the seat of national government, threatening the country’s democratic institutions.
Similar events unfolded during the January 6 insurrection of Capitol Hill by Donald Trump supporters in 2021. Anyone watching Sunday’s failed coup attempt in Brazil’s capital city of Brasília would be forgiven for feeling a bit of déjà vu. Just two days after the 2nd anniversary of the January 6 event, viewers saw nearly identical images of angry protesters illegally forcing their way into the seat of government. Now let's compare the two events:
SIMILARITIES
The two events demonstrate a serious coordinated effort to re-install a defeated president.
Just as in the January 6 insurrection, the anti-Democratic forces in Brazil were unsuccessful in changing the results of an election they lost.
DIFFERENCES
One of the biggest differences is that in Brazil power had already changed hands. In US Trump was still in office when his supporters tried to overthrow the government.
The second most obvious difference is that in the US the insurrection by Trump supporters merely targeted the Capitol. In Brazil, however, Bolsonaristas attacked the Supreme Court, as well.
Thirdly, It took Brazil exactly TWO DAYS to arrest a pair of government officials who were allegedly behind the attack on their country. In United States no government officials have been arrested in association with the January 6 attack after TWO YEARS.
The other and perhaps the most consequential difference between the events in the US and Brazil was the way in which security forces responded to them. In the US security forces took action against the violent protesters without hesitation and there was never any suspicion that the military may actually be supportive of their demands for a coup against the newly elected president. In Brazil, however, it proved much more difficult to ascertain where the loyalties of the security forces lie.
The last difference between the two events is that Brazil got it January 6 edition on the January 8.
CONCLUSION
President Lula has accused security forces of "neglecting" their duty in not halting the "terrorist acts" while Brazil's judicial authorities have ordered the arrest of top public officials after rioters stormed key government buildings in Brasília.
“These fascists modeling themselves after Trump’s Jan. 6 rioters must end up in the same place: prison.” US Representative Jamie Raskin
Now, the question on everyone’s mind is how will Lula secure the future of his young government, protect Brazil’s fragile democracy, and prevent further social unrest?. Many believe the Lula government will emerge from this chaos even stronger than before.
ANALY ONLINE STANDS WITH BRAZIL AND DEMOCRACY
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