From Reuters:
“Bolsonaro in Florida
hospital; over 1,500 supporters detained after Brasilia riots”
Far-right former Brazilian
President Jair Bolsonaro was admitted to a hospital in Florida on Monday as
more than 1,500 of his supporters were rounded up in Brasilia after storming
the capital over the weekend. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a leftist
who took office on Jan. 1 after defeating Bolsonaro in an October vote,
promised to bring those responsible for the violence to justice. The mobs
rampaged through Congress, the Supreme Court and presidential offices, smashing
windows, furniture and artwork.
Bolsonaro went to a hospital in
Orlando on Monday with intestinal pains related to a stabbing he suffered
during the 2018 election campaign, his wife, Michelle, said on Instagram. His
doctor said he has an intestinal blockage that was not serious and would likely
not need surgery. Bolsonaro faces several investigations before the Supreme
Court in Brazil and his future in the United States, where he traveled with a
visa issued to heads of state, diplomats and other government officials, is in
question. Representative Joaquin Castro, a Democratic lawmaker in the U.S.
Congress, said on CNN that the United States should not give refuge to an
"authoritarian who has inspired domestic terrorism" and should send
Bolsonaro back to Brazil. The U.S. government declined to comment on
Bolsonaro's visa. U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said a person
who entered on a visa for foreign officials must depart the country within 30
days or apply for a change of immigration status if they are no longer engaged
in official business. Restoring order in the Brazilian capital, Brazilian
soldiers backed by police on Monday dismantled a two-month-old camp opposite
the army's headquarters where Bolsonaro supporters have been protesting since
he lost the election, according to Reuters witnesses.
Some 1,200 people from the camp
were detained for questioning on Monday, authorities said, after about 300
arrests on Sunday. Thousands of Bolsonaro's backers set off from that
encampment on Sunday before storming the presidential palace, Supreme Court and
Congress in the worst attack on state institutions since Brazil's return to
democracy in the 1980s.
Aftermath of Brazil's
anti-democratic riots Lula, who was back at work at the ransacked Planalto
palace, met with his defense minister and commanders of the armed forces to
discuss the violence reminiscent of the assault on the U.S. Capitol two years
ago by backers of former President Donald Trump. U.S. President Joe Biden joined other
world leaders in condemning Sunday's riots, calling them
"outrageous," while Bolsonaro, who is now in Florida, denied inciting
his supporters and said the rioters had "crossed the line."
VISIT TO WASHINGTON In a
phone call on Monday, Biden invited Lula to visit Washington in early February,
according to a statement from the White House. Pro-Bolsonaro truckers,
who have caused intermittent havoc on Brazil's highways for months, held more
protests through Sunday night. Police on Monday removed their blockade of the
BR 163 highway that cuts through Brazil's top grain-producing state Mato Grosso
and on another highway in Parana state. "There are still people
trying to block roads and access to oil refineries," presidential
spokesman Paulo Pimenta told reporters. State-run oil company Petrobras
(PETR4.SA) said its refinery operations and fuel supplies had not been
affected. Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the governor
of Brasilia removed from office late on Sunday for 90 days over alleged
security failings and demanded that social media platforms Facebook, Twitter
and TikTok block accounts of users spreading anti-democratic propaganda. Facebook
parent Meta (META.O) and Google's (GOOGL.O) video platform YouTube said on
Monday they were removing content supporting or praising the weekend actions.
Telegram said it was working with Brazil's government and fact-checking groups
to prevent the spread of content inciting violence. TikTok and Twitter
did not respond to requests for comment. Brazil's financial markets held
steady after an early drop, with the Bovespa benchmark stock index (.BVSP)
edging higher in afternoon trading and the currency closing 0.4% weaker against
the U.S. dollar. Some analysts said Sunday's violence could strengthen Lula
politically.
^ Hopefully, Brazil will request Bolsonaro
from the US and the US will send him back. He is known as the “Trump of the
Tropics” and that is not something to be proud of. The US suffered an internal
Attack on our Democracy on January 6, 2021 and we had 245 years backing us up.
Brazil has only been a Democracy for 38 years and so it is more fragile. ^
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.