“At the moment, we are working with police forces. All our police forces (…) are in the streets” and “ordered the arrest of the guards,” the governor of the Brazilian capital said, as quoted by local press.
Police fired rubber bullets and teargas shells at the demonstrators.
Around 200 demonstrators blocked some of Brasilia’s main roads, refusing to recognize the victory of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the presidential election. Local media reported that many people were trapped in one of the largest shopping centers in Brasilia due to the blockades.
Confusion followed the federal government’s Supreme Court decision to arrest an indigenous man identified as José Agacio Tzerer Sawante for participating in anti-democracy protests.
Brasilia’s military police also beefed up security at the hotel where Brazil’s president-elect is staying, whose victory was upheld by the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) on Monday.
In the second round of the presidential election, on October 30, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters took to the streets to protest the election results and demand the “intervention” of the military to prevent Lula da Silva from taking office.
A massive demonstration of ‘Bolsonaristas’ has gathered in front of the military headquarters in Brasilia, creating a veritable ‘parallel city’ from which they are demanding military intervention to reverse the election result.
On Monday, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters gathered in the gardens of the Alvorada Palace, the official residence of Brazil’s head of state, in what they considered “D-Day” to prevent Lula da Silva from going down the ramp.
A few kilometers away, a ceremony took place at the TSE, during which Lula da Silva and Vice President-elect Geraldo Alcmin received diplomas confirming their victory in the October presidential election and qualifying them to assume their respective mandates. 01 January 2023.
Jair Bolsonaro met with protesters near the Alvorada Palace, accompanied by a priest who preached to supporters.
“Hardcore explorer. Extreme communicator. Professional writer. General music practitioner. Prone to fits of apathy.”