2023 Brazilian Congress attack

2023 Brazilian Congress attack
Part of the 2022–2023 Brazilian election protests and the 2022 Brazilian coup plot
The invasion of the National Congress Palace
Date8 January 2023; 22 months ago (2023-01-08)
Location
Praça dos Três Poderes, Brasília, Federal District, Brazil

15°48′03″S 47°51′41″W / 15.80083°S 47.86139°W / -15.80083; -47.86139
Caused byFalse allegations of electoral fraud in the 2022 Brazilian general election promoted by former President Jair Bolsonaro and his allies[1]
Goals
Methods
Resulted inCoup failed
  • Severe damage to the federal buildings, many art pieces stolen, damaged or vandalised.
  • Rioting suppressed, all three targeted buildings cleared
  • Arrest and detainment en masse of rioters by federal and state law enforcement authorities
  • Declaration by Lula of federal takeover of the Federal District for the remainder of January 2023
  • Suspension of Ibaneis Rocha as the governor of the Federal District for 90 days, by order of the Supreme Federal Court
Parties

Pro-Bolsonaro protesters

Lead figures

No known organized leadership

Number
~5,000[16]
Unknown
Casualties
Injuriesat least 84 (40+ protesters and 44 military police officers)[17]
Arrested140+[18]
Damage$14.9 Million BRL

On 8 January 2023, following the defeat of then-president Jair Bolsonaro in the 2022 Brazilian general election and the inauguration of his successor Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a mob of Bolsonaro's supporters attacked Brazil's federal government buildings in the capital, Brasília. The mob invaded and caused deliberate damage to the Supreme Federal Court, the National Congress Palace and the Planalto Presidential Palace in the Praça dos Três Poderes (English: Three Powers Square or Three Branches of Government[19]), seeking to violently overthrow the democratically elected president Lula, who had been inaugurated on 1 January. Many rioters said their purpose was to spur military leaders to launch a "military intervention" (related to a misinterpretation of the 142nd article of the Brazilian constitution and a euphemism for a coup d'état) and disrupt the democratic transition of power.[20]

At the time of the riots, neither Lula nor Bolsonaro were in Brasília: Lula was in Araraquara, a city in the countryside of São Paulo, with mayor Edinho Silva and ministers Luiz Marinho, Jader Filho and Waldez Goés, surveying the city after heavy rains in the municipality;[21] Bolsonaro was in Orlando, Florida, where he had been since the last days of 2022, even before the end of his term.[22]

The attack occurred a week after Lula's inauguration and followed several weeks of unrest from Bolsonaro's supporters. It took more than five hours for the Brazilian security forces to clear all three buildings of the rioters, which happened at 21:00 BRT (UTC−03:00).[1][23] The storming of the government buildings drew swift condemnation from governments around the world.[24]

In response to the attack, at 18:00 BRT, Lula announced that he had signed a decree authorising a federal state of emergency in the Federal District through the end of January 2023.[25] The Congress was not in session at the time of the attacks,[26] but it swiftly ratified the declaration by 10 January.[27]

  1. ^ a b Nicas, Jack; Spigariol, André (8 January 2023). "Bolsonaro Supporters Lay Siege to Brazil's Capital". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 9 January 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  2. ^ a b Bowman, Emma (8 January 2023). "Security forces regain control after Bolsonaro supporters storm Brazil's Congress". NPR. Archived from the original on 9 January 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  3. ^ "Supporters of Brazil's Bolsonaro storm Congress, Supreme Court and presidential palace". CBS News. 8 January 2023. Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  4. ^ "Brazil investigates pro-Bolsonaro rioters who stormed government buildings". Euronews. 8 January 2023. Archived from the original on 9 January 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Bolsonaristas radicais presos em Brasília estavam armados com estacas, estilingues e ferramentas pontiagudas". G1. 13 January 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Painel: Ex-braço-direito de Pazuello na Saúde, general participou de ato golpista". Folha de S.Paulo. 9 January 2023.
  7. ^ "Sobrinho de Bolsonaro, influenciadora de direita, ex-BBB e políticos do PL: os golpistas identificados até aqui". O Globo. 9 January 2023.
  8. ^ "Extremistas bolsonaristas articulavam invasão de sedes dos três Poderes nas redes desde 3 de janeiro". Estadão.
  9. ^ "Da invasão às prisões. Imagens mostram em detalhes o que aconteceu no 8 de janeiro". Congresso em Foco (in Brazilian Portuguese). 29 January 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  10. ^ ananunes. "Governo fecha Esplanada e autoriza emprego da Força Nacional até segunda". CNN Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference UolGsi was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference CNNDias was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYTimes8Jan2023 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ "MPF abre investigação sobre omissão do comando da PM do DF durante invasões". noticias.uol.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  15. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference NYtimesriot was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference rochatorres was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ "44 PMs do DF ficaram feridos em ataque bolsonarista, diz interventor | Metrópoles" [MPF opens investigation into omission of DF PM command during invasions]. www.metropoles.com (in Brazilian Portuguese). 13 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
    • Roriz, Giulia; Schwingel, Samara (8 January 2023). "Hospital de Base recebe mais de 40 feridos durante atos bolsonaristas no DF" [Base Hospital received more than 40 wounded during terrorist acts in the DF: According to the Hospital de Base, six people were admitted in serious condition after the beginning of Bolsonarist acts. Two underwent surgery 01/08/2023]. Metrópoles (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  18. ^ "Moraes cita 'conduta gravíssima' e mantém 140 presos por ligação com atos de terror em Brasília". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). 18 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  19. ^ "January 9, 2023: The response to the coup attempt". Agência Brasil. 9 January 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  20. ^ Phillips, Tom (8 January 2023). "Jair Bolsonaro supporters storm Brazil's presidential palace and supreme court". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 January 2023.
  21. ^ "Presidente Lula e ministros avaliam danos causados pela chuva em Araraquara" [President Lula and ministers assess damage caused by rain in Araraquara]. G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). 8 January 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  22. ^ Marcelino, Ueslei (31 December 2022). "Brazil's Bolsonaro lands in Florida, avoiding Lula handover". Reuters. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  23. ^ "Brazilian authorities: Rioters have been cleared out of government buildings, 200 arrested". The Week. 9 January 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  24. ^ "World leaders condemn Brazil violence as US lawmakers call for Bolsonaro extradition". the Guardian. 9 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  25. ^ "Lula decreta intervenção federal na segurança do DF e diz que terroristas serão punidos" [Lula decrees federal intervention in the security of the DF and says that terrorists will be punished]. CartaCapital (in Brazilian Portuguese). 8 January 2023. Archived from the original on 8 January 2023.
  26. ^ Gortázar, Naiara Galarraga (8 January 2023). "Bolsonaro supporters storm Brazil's Congress". EL PAÍS English Edition. Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  27. ^ "Federal forces to intervene in Brasília after pro-coup riot". Agência Brasil. 10 January 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2023.