Brazil's far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro Monday condemned "pillaging and invasions of public buildings" after his supporters stormed Congress, the presidential palace, and the Supreme Court. He also rejected what he said were President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's "baseless" accusations about him inciting the invasion of the seat of power in Brasilia.
Here are the top 5 developments unfolding in Brazil at the moment:
>Thousands of demonstrators bypassed security barricades, climbed on roofs, smashed windows and invaded the three government buildings on Sunday. Some of the demonstrators called for a military intervention to either restore the far-right Bolsonaro to power or oust Lula from the presidency.
>Justice minister Flavio Dino said that roughly 200 people had been arrested and officers were firing more tear gas to drive away lingering protesters, reported news agency AP.
>Addressing a press conference from Sao Paulo, Lula accused Bolsonaro of encouraging the uprising by those he termed “fascist fanatics,” and he read a freshly signed decree for the federal government to take control of security in the federal district. “There is no precedent for what they did and these people need to be punished,” Lula said.
>Bolsonaro, who flew to Florida ahead of Lula’s inauguration, repudiated the president's accusation and tweeted that peaceful protest is part of democracy but vandalism and invasion of public buildings are “exceptions to the rule.”
{{/usCountry}}>Bolsonaro, who flew to Florida ahead of Lula’s inauguration, repudiated the president's accusation and tweeted that peaceful protest is part of democracy but vandalism and invasion of public buildings are “exceptions to the rule.”
{{/usCountry}}>Among other global leaders, US President Joe Biden and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the “assault”. In a tweet, Biden stressed that the democratic institutions of Brazil have full support of the United States. "I condemn the assault on democracy and on the peaceful transfer of power in Brazil. Brazil's democratic institutions have our full support and the will of the Brazilian people must not be undermined. I look forward to continuing to work with @LulaOficial."
Guterres emphasised that the will of the Brazilian people and democratic institutions must be respected.
(With inputs from AP, AFP)