News has broke that supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro have breached security barriers and stormed Brazil’s Congress this Sunday afternoon.
The protesters have gained access to multiple key buildings which include the Supreme Court, presidential palace as well as the congressional building.
Pictures and video of the incident show the massive crowds walking up a ramp leading to the congressional building and Supreme Court.
According to CNN Brazil, the Brazilian Armed Forces and anti-riot police arrived soon after the breach and were making attempts to enter the buildings.
In order to prevent police from entering the premises, protesters used furniture as makeshift barricades.
This security breach comes almost one week after the presidential inauguration of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who had defeated Bolsonaro in a run-off election back on October 30.
Bolsonaro fled the country prior to Lula’s presidential inauguration, stopping him from explicitly conceding his loss in the election. Since then, his supporters have been camping out in the capital.
Just yesterday, Justice Minister Flavio Dino had Armed Forced set up barriers around the congressional building due to the presence of Bolsonaro supporters.
At this time, Congress is not in session and President Lula was not in the building at the time of breach. A team assembled for the new president was working inside the presidential palace when protesters stormed in and are awaiting evacuation.
In response, President Lula described the security breach as “barbaric” and Bolsonaro’s supporters as “fascists” during a press conference in Araraquara, Sao Paulo.
“These people are everything that is abominable in politics, to invade the government headquarters, the headquarters of Congress and the headquarters of the Supreme Court like true vandals destroying everything in their path,” Lula said.
Many Brazilian officials are comparing the actions of the protesters to that of the January 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol riot.
Brazil’s Attorney General’s office released a statement saying it is currently investigating all individuals involved in the breach.
This is a developing story, as details continue to come in from news outlets.
Update: After several hours and the arrests of over 170 people, the government buildings have been cleared of any protesters.
