Brasilia, January 9
Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro have stormed the country’s Supreme Court, Congress and the presidential palace against Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva taking over the helm of the country after narrowly defeating his predecessor.
Wearing shirts in the colours of Brazil’s flag — yellow and green — the protesters on Sunday vandalised the buildings in capital Brasilia that house the South American nation’s key democratic institutions, reports the BBC.
The rioting came exactly a week after Lula, who was President between January 2003 and December 2010 and defeated Bolsonaro by a narrow margin in a run-off election on October 31, 2022, was sworn into office.
The police resorted to firing tear gas when the demonstrators wrapped in the national flag surrounded the presidential palace.
While addressing a press conference here, Justice Minister Flavio Dino said at least 200 of the rioters have been arrested so far and the situation in and around Congress, the Supreme Court and the presidential palace is under control after security forces managed to expel the protesters.
“This is terrorism, it’s a coup. We are certain that the vast majority of the population doesn’t want this darkness to be implemented,” the BBC quoted Dino as saying at a press conference.
