Supporters of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro stormed several government buildings in Brasilia on Sunday. President Lula da Silva points an accusing finger at the security services and agitator Bolsonaro. But the latter is too simplistic, says Johan Verberckmoes, Brazil connoisseur and professor of history at KU Leuven.
How do you view the events in Brazil’s capital?
“Still with surprise. No one expected this to happen. But at the same time, it just seemed like a bit of a fumble. It was clearly a copy of what happened in Washington in 2021 (the US Capitol was then stormed by Trump supporters, AB), but security forces quickly recaptured the buildings. The damage appears to be more limited, and the building was virtually empty. But it signals something alarming: that there is a very broad movement that sees Bolsonaro as a symbol of Brazil and that it is not going away anytime soon. And that the new president has to deal with that.”
The parallels with the storming of the US Capitol are quickly drawn. Do you think the comparison is fair?
“Obviously a kind of parallel is being created. Eduardo Bolsonaro, Bolsonaro’s third son, has visited Trump. Reports then appeared in the international media that Trump had whispered to him to organize something similar. However, I mainly see the differences between the two assaults. Trump and Bolsonaro are not in the same position. Bolsonaro is a former army captain. He had hoped that the military would take his side in the elections, but that did not happen. That explains why he reacted relatively resignedly to the outcome and did not challenge it.
“The army in Brazil guarantees democracy and there is respect for institutions even with loose missiles. Look at Bolsonaro’s response to the storms. He says that a government building cannot be damaged, because he himself comes from a tradition in which the army guarantees a strong government. A huge difference with Trump, who is supported by his supporters and the Republican party, and where the military plays no role in that respect.”
Bolsonaro condemns the actions of his supporters on Twitter. “Peaceful demonstrations are part of democracy, but looting and invasions of public buildings are not,” he says. How credible is it that he distances himself?
“He distances himself, but also says: people have a right to express their opinion. That’s ambiguous. He may have hoped that the storming would lead to his being recalled to Brazil.
“But the initial reactions of political parties, including Bolsonaro’s party, now show that leaders are pledging support for Lula to restore order. That’s good news, but the president is struggling and the situation is unstable. Part of the population will continue to see him as a corrupt president. Smart people from the Bolsonaro area can step up and exploit this.”
To what extent is Bolsonaro’s legal position now at risk?
“This is once more a big difference from the Capitol. We don’t actually see any so far smoking gun, in which Bolsonaro calls on his supporters to storm government buildings. He immediately distanced himself from the violence. There is no evidence linking him to this particular action. He just says that people have the right to express their opinion.
“There are several lawsuits once morest him in Brazil. The ex-president faces a series of trials for corruption and abuses during his presidency. He will get that on his plate when he returns to Brazil. He will probably stay in Florida for the time being. This way he stays close to Trump in the hope that someday there will be support to return. But I don’t think that will happen anytime soon.
“President Lula doesn’t have much to gain from holding Bolsonaro responsible for the storms now. There is obviously some damage, but it fizzled out. It is a completely different situation than in the Capitol, where a session was in progress and politicians had to be brought to safety. There have now been no deaths or injuries.”
Why have no measures been taken to prevent the advance of these radical groups?
“I don’t think they expected a storm. Around Lula’s swearing-in (on 1 January, AB) there were additional security measures. And even following the elections there were roadblocks for a week. There was a lot of unrest among the thousands of Bolsonaro supporters. But layers of the military must have been involved: these people were taken to barracks by buses.
“President Lula is pointing the finger at the security services, holding them accountable. They have not protected government buildings. There are many supporters of Bolsonaro in the services. They probably didn’t report to their superiors, I imagine as a scenario. We may hear more regarding that. But there was also something amateurish regarding the storming. The images I saw do not show the sharp aggression as in Washington in 2021. They seemed like ordinary people who are dissatisfied with the situation in Brazil and want to express it.”
