Bolsonaro supporters in Brazil storm the police headquarters

Those who back the far-right On Monday, the day after his election defeat was confirmed, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro made an attempt to storm the federal police headquarters in the nation’s capital, Brasilia.

At the police headquarters, Bolsonaro supporters were seen arguing with security personnel, many of whom were wearing their distinctive yellow national soccer jerseys or carrying Brazilian flags. To separate the throng, police used tear gas and stun grenades. Buses and vehicles nearby were set ablaze.

“Disturbances” near the headquarters, according to federal police, are being addressed with assistance from capital security personnel.

According to the judge who ordered his arrest, the violence started after a Bolsonaro supporter was jailed for allegedly planning violent “anti-democratic crimes.”

The federal electoral court (TSE) had earlier on Monday recognized Bolsonaro’s left-leaning opponent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as the winner of the Oct. 30 presidential election. After months of unfounded claims that Brazil’s electoral process is susceptible to fraud, Bolsonaro has not formally accepted Lula’s victory or stopped the transfer of power.

However, some of the president’s most ardent fans have sat in front of army bases and stopped roads in protest, advocating for a military coup to remove Lula from office.

With signs urging “military intervention,” hundreds of Bolsonaro supporters gathered in front of the presidential palace on Monday afternoon. The president prayed with them in front of the people but did not address them.

There won’t be an inauguration, declared Jose Trindade, 58, a Bolsonaro supporter present. “They stole Bolsonaro’s reelection, but he won. Therefore, only the military can restore order.

Credit: Reuters