The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has blamed his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro for an attack on Brasília’s political buildings by his supporters, in which up to 3,000 people unleashed destruction on the presidential palace, the supreme court and the Congress on Sunday.
Bolsonaro, who is currently in Florida, rejected Lula’s claims that he was responsible.
Here, six readers in Brazil share their reaction to the incident, which was immediately compared to the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.
‘I wasn’t shocked, but saddened’
I wasn’t really shocked about it, but was really sad to see the destruction. I wasn’t shocked because Bolsonaro supporters weren’t exactly being secretive about their plans. Even before Lula was elected they said they wouldn’t accept him as a president, and the extreme supporters aren’t at all attached to democracy.
The country is really divided and many people I know have seen their families divided over this issue. I am participating in rallies against the attack with my university friends. We think it’s important to show that the people repudiate what happened and want [the perpetrators] to be held responsible on a civil and criminal basis. People should be held responsible for all the damage they’ve done to the country. Isadora Faé, 23, student, Espírito Santo
‘Brazil is imitating North America’
What happened on Sunday was just another episode of the Brazilian social and political scene imitating the North American one. We had our Trump (Bolsonaro) refusing to accept defeat, we have our Trumpists denying the result of the election, and now we have our capital riot.
Fortunately, I have a small hope that our institutions will be more efficient than the US’s in prosecuting and jailing the people who did this. Not that the problem will be solved at any rate, but a strong response will be a relief.
Just as in the US, the political future is uncertain and we cannot be sure if this fascist movement will die out during Lula’s administration or remain strong to be a concerning opponent in the next election. Diego Vasconcelos de Almeida, 27, student, São Paulo
‘We have to do something to stop fascism’
It is outrageous what has happened, but definitely not a surprise. These people have been camping and are supported by the army. I think the former president is to blame and unfortunately it is clear that there are many people who ask for a coup. They are a minority, but a very noisy one. It is high time something more serious was done to punish these people and a more thorough investigation carried out to find and arrest the people who are paying for these actions, for the buses that arrived in Brasília coming from different states.
My [social circle] are all outraged and we hope that these people are punished and that democracy is restored for good. I don’t know what can be done but we will have to do something to stop fascism. Eliana Herrmann, 45, conference interpreter and translator, São Paulo
‘Bolsonaro asked that no acts of vandalism be committed’
I’m totally against the violence and depredations committed on Sunday in Brasília. The problem is that the media are putting all the blame on former the president Jair Bolsonaro, but he himself asked that no acts of vandalism be committed.
The people do not accept that an ex-convict is president of the republic, and that a judge of the federal supreme court imposes what can and cannot be said on social networks. Thousands of ordinary people are being censored for expressing their opinions.
I reiterate that I am totally against the crimes committed in Brasília, but totally against what the Brazilian media is doing. Luana, 38, teacher, Goiás
‘I believe that Brazil will now take these threats more seriously’
When I first heard the news I couldn’t believe what was happening. My husband saw some videos on Twitter and I thought it was fake news. After some time, TV channels started to show the scenes and I believed it was real. I was in shock.
The extent of damage to public property is unprecedented. Until now, the authorities had not yet taken strong measures. I believe that Brazil will take this type of situation more seriously now. I was surprised by the amount of people arrested and there are still many more to be located.
Some in Brazil are in shock, while others are outraged by the extent of the damage caused and the police’s delay in taking action. There is also a sense of mourning for the lost public heritage. Gabriela Martins, 33, public servant, Brasília
‘I am hopeful democracy will prevail’
I am profoundly sad and angry about what happened on Sunday in Brazil. I am also ashamed to be a Christian: seeing lots of evangelicals participating in the terrorist attack is unacceptable.
But I am also full of hope that those people will be charged for their crimes and that the Brazilian democracy will prevail. I think Brazil is greater than those terrorists. Our country went through a lot and we prevailed. Hundreds of people were arrested in the first hours and most people rejected that act of terror. I think we are on the way to reconstruction. Alan Motta, 28, German teacher, Rio de Janeiro
