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Metal security barricades are used to break through the glass, allowing mobs to break into and loot parliamentary halls. Mobs take selfies, shoot desks with rifles, aim at priceless works of art, and deface and destroy whatever they can.
For Americans, this attack on a government building in Brazil was not a random protest in a faraway land. It was a timely reminder that isms are fragile.
Yes, the United States, once the benchmark of the world, is today shamed to be a model for electoral denial and rioting. That shame will not be driven away until the man most responsible for facilitating both is brought to justice.
The mobs who supported the far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro and stormed the Brazilian parliament, presidential palace and Supreme Court building in the Brasilian capital on Sunday have learned their lesson well. First came the denial of elections led by Bolsonaro himself. It argues, without legal basis, that the result was rigged and that newly-instituted President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva had no chance of winning.
By Lula’s Jan. 1 inauguration, a social media storm had already amassed Bolsonaro’s supporters.
Many of their supporters bused into the capital over the weekend, some had camped since the election, and demanded a military coup to quash their claims. It is no coincidence that the Supreme Court building, a special target for Bolsonaro himself, has become a special target for the mob.
As for Bolsonaro, he skipped the traditional handing over of the presidential sash to Lula and instead headed to Florida to reside in a gated community in the Orlando area. He didn’t come just for the weather, bearing in mind that his presidential immunity will expire on the day of his inauguration, leaving him exposed to the corruption charges that have long plagued his administration. I’m putting
The good news for Brazil was that the parliament was not in session at the time and the president was in São Paulo and did not return to the presidential palace until order was restored in the capital. time of riots.
Since then, the Bolsonaro-inspired encampment has been dismantled and about 1,200 protesters have been detained. Brazil’s Minister of Justice, Flavio Dino, said in a broadcast speech that authorities had identified about 40 buses that had brought the mob to Brasilia (the military police announced the number of buses as 100) and that these trips He said that whoever provided the money would be tracked down and held accountable.
At a press conference, Lula accused local police of being “incompetent or dishonest,” and the federal district governor reportedly fired Brasilia’s chief of public safety, Anderson Torres.
Brazil’s Supreme Court Judge Suspends Bolsonaro Supporter Brasilia Governor for 90 Days and Holds Him Responsible for Security Breach and Encampment Extension .
President Biden has endorsed Lula since he was elected, releasing a joint statement on Monday with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Sunday’s “Brazilian democracy and power.” It condemned the attack on peaceful transfers,” adding: We support Brazil’s protection of its democratic institutions. ”
But the best protection for any democracy is the speedy restoration of order, and the equally swift and sure prosecution of those who cling to power and who seek to trample upon the constitution of the nation in order to defeat the will of the electorate. is to
That’s right, Lula and his new government have their work cut out for the next few days. But they are not alone. America must remain a good neighbor and a good example. Those responsible for this attack on Brazilian democracy should not be able to find permanent safe haven in this country.
And so that the world can know that attempts to subvert democracy and undermine the rule of law come at a cost, including its central figure, Donald Trump himself, on January 6. Those involved in the riot must be brought to justice.
Editorials represent the views of the Boston Globe Editorial Board. Follow us on Twitter. @grove opinion.
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