Clean-up crews spent all day Monday trying to recover what was left standing in Brasilia’s Three Powers Square, while seeing the full extent of the damage done by mobs of former President Jair Bolsonaro’s supporters who attacked and looted facilities in Brazil’s capital.
Under federal intervention, the military has moved to stop the invaders who remain in the city, many of whom have camped there since Bolsonaro lost re-election late last year.
The cavalry arrived early Monday and disbanded the camps without encountering resistance, while more than 1,200 Bolsonaro supporters were detained by federal police.
For analyst Rodrigo Brando, even with the arrests, there is fear of new attempts to destabilize democracy in the coming weeks.
“It was an organized event against the Brazilian rule of law. In addition to the material issue, there is a symbolic attack on democracy. There is a seriousness and a fear of a repeat of this movement in other countries. The government must move quickly so that there is no progress,” Brando said.
Despite the devastation, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva worked normally in the Planalto Palace, trying to send the message that violence will not win, and during the day he met with members of the Supreme Court and Congress.
In the evening, Lula met with 27 Brazilian governors and said his mission was to investigate who had funded the violence.
What they want is a coup, and there will be no coup. Democracy is the most complicated thing because it forces you to live with what is different. “We will not give up until we find out who is responsible for what happened in this country,” he said.
To date, government agencies have identified more than 100 companies suspected of financing anti-democratic actions.
Justice Minister Flavio Dino told the press that the police had begun tracking down those who had paid for the buses that brought the protesters to the capital.
At a news conference, Dino said the attackers apparently wanted their protest to have a ripple effect across the country.
He added that they can now be charged with various crimes, such as organized crime, attempted coup d’état, and the violent abolition of the democratic rule of law.
[Con información de AP]
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