Bolsonaro rejects Lula’s accusation about role in Brazil violence

GBNEWS24DESK//

Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro on Sunday rejected accusations against him by his successor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva that he incited the invasion of the seat of power in Brasilia, condemning the “pillaging and invasions of public buildings” in the country’s capital.

Mr Bolsonaro rejected what he called new President Lula’s “baseless” accusations. He said on Twitter that peaceful demonstrations were a part of democracy but that any invasion of government buildings crossed the line.

Supporters of Brazil’s far-right former president on Sunday invaded the country’s Congress, presidential palace and Supreme Court, in a grim echo of the US Capitol invasion two years ago by fans of former President Donald Trump.

The uprising, which lasted a little over three hours, underlined the severe polarization that still grips the country days after Lula’s inauguration.

There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries from their rampage, but the invaders left a trail of destruction, throwing furniture through the smashed windows of the presidential palace, flooding parts of Congress with a sprinkler system and ransacking ceremonial rooms in the Supreme Court.

Leftist President Lula, who defeated Bolsonaro in the most fraught election in a generation last year, announced a federal security intervention in Brasilia lasting until Jan 31 after capital security forces initially were overwhelmed by the invaders.