Bolsonaro supporters storm Brazilian Congress

By Alfonso Serrano, Matt Meyer, Maureen Chowdhury, Mike Hayes, Heather Chen, Sana Noor Haq and Ed Upright, CNN

Updated 8:59 p.m. ET, January 9, 2023
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10:54 p.m. ET, January 8, 2023

Brazilian President Lula da Silva visits Presidential Palace and Supreme Court following unrest

From CNN’s Marcia Reverdosa

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visits the Planalto Palace in Brasilia on Sunday.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visits the Planalto Palace in Brasilia on Sunday. (Eraldo Peres/AP)

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Sunday he was at the Planalto Presidential Palace and the Supreme Court in Brasilia after supporters of his rival Jair Bolsonaro stormed government buildings.

"The coup plotters who promoted the destruction of public property in Brasilia are being identified and will be punished," Lula da Silva posted on Facebook. "Tomorrow we resume work at the Planalto Palace. Always Democracy. Goodnight."

Earlier, Lula described events in the capital as “barbaric” and said “a lack of security” had allowed Bolsonaro’s “fascist” supporters to breach barriers set up by the Armed Forces outside the three branches of government

“These people are everything that is abominable in politics,” he told a news conference.

At least 400 people have been arrested following the unrest, according to Brazilian authorities.

10:23 p.m. ET, January 8, 2023

Facebook says it will remove content that praises the storming of Brazil's government buildings

From CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan

Facebook’s parent company Meta declared the unrest in Brazil a “violating event” on Sunday, adding it would “remove content that supports or praises” protesters who breached government buildings. 

"In advance of the election, we designated Brazil as a temporary high-risk location and have been removing content calling for people to take up arms or forcibly invade Congress, the Presidential palace and other federal buildings," Meta spokesperson Andy Stone told CNN.
"We're also designating this as a violating event, which means we will remove content that supports or praises these actions. We’re actively monitoring the situation and will continue removing content that violates our policies."

Some context: Meta has in the past designated violent events, like terrorists attacks, school shootings, and the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol as so-called “violating events.” The policy allows the company to expedite content removal in these circumstances.

9:41 p.m. ET, January 8, 2023

Brazil will adopt further measures to strengthen the country’s capital, official says

From CNN’s Rodrigo Pedroso

Brazil’s government will adopt more measures aimed at strengthening the capital of Brasília, Justice Minister Flávio Dino said Sunday.

Dino told reporters “there are still people on the internet saying that they are going to continue with terrorist acts. And they will not be able to destroy Brazilian democracy. They won't.” 

He also described Sunday’s events in Brasília as “a coup.”

“We regret that the heritage of the Brazilian people has been squandered in a vile way. This is not about the continuity of the electoral process, it is about coup d'état, terrorism,” the minister said, while adding that “we are not going to accept the path of criminality to carry out a political struggle in Brazil. Criminals will be treated like criminals.”

Dino went on to say "this will never happen again in this country because there is unity among the institutions to guarantee social peace and act against terrorism.” 

8:23 p.m. ET, January 8, 2023

UN secretary general condemns "assault on Brazil’s democratic institutions"

From CNN’s Richard Roth

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres joined other world leaders Sunday in condemning the Bolsonaro supporters’ breach of Brazil’s Supreme Court, Congress and presidential palace:

12:24 a.m. ET, January 9, 2023

Bolsonaro denounces his supporters' storming of government buildings

From CNN’s Rodrigo Pedroso

Jair Bolsonaro arrives for a press conference at Alvorada Palace in Brasilia on November 1, 2022.
Jair Bolsonaro arrives for a press conference at Alvorada Palace in Brasilia on November 1, 2022. (Andressa Anholete/Getty Images)

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro denounced the "depredations and invasions of public buildings" in Brasília, after his supporters stormed key government buildings Sunday.

Police say they have since cleared the crowds from the country’s Supreme Court, the presidential palace and the congressional building.

Bolsonaro tweeted that “peaceful demonstrations, respecting the law, are part of democracy."

"However, depredations and invasions of public buildings as occurred today, as well as those practiced by the left in 2013 and 2017, escape the rule," he continued. "Throughout my mandate, I have always been acting according to the Constitution, respecting and defending the laws, democracy, transparency and our sacred freedom."

Some context: While Bolsonaro has said he would cooperate with the peaceful transition of power, he has also declined to explicitly concede his election loss in October.

The election came amid a tense and polarized political climate in Brazil, which has been struggling with high inflation, limited growth and rising poverty.

In the weeks since Bolsonaro's loss, thousands of his supporters have gathered at military barracks across the country, asking the army to step in as they claim, with no evidence, that the election was stolen.

8:29 p.m. ET, January 8, 2023

Police arrest at least 400 people after the storming of government buildings, governor says

From CNN’s Flora Charner and Pierre Meilhan

Security forces detain a supporter of Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro during a demonstration against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, outside Brazil’s National Congress in Brasília, Brazil on Sunday.
Security forces detain a supporter of Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro during a demonstration against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, outside Brazil’s National Congress in Brasília, Brazil on Sunday. (Adriano Machado/Reuters)

At least 400 people have been arrested after pro-Bolsonaro supporters stormed key government buildings in Brazil's capital, said Ibaneis Rocha, the governor of the country's Federal District.

Rocha tweeted that those arrested “will pay for the crimes committed."

"We continue working to identify all the others who participated in these terrorist acts this afternoon in the Federal District. We continue to work to restore order,” Rocha added.

Brazil's capital, Brasília, is part of the Federal District. It is home to the country's Congress and Supreme Court buildings, and the presidential palace, which were all stormed Sunday.

7:16 p.m. ET, January 8, 2023

Police: Officers have cleared Brazilian government buildings of protesters and made about 170 arrests

From CNN’s Maija Ehlinger, Rodrigo Pedroso and Marcia Reverdosa

Supporters of Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro demonstrate against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as security forces operate outside Brazil’s National Congress in Brasília, Brazil on Sunday.
Supporters of Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro demonstrate against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as security forces operate outside Brazil’s National Congress in Brasília, Brazil on Sunday. (Adriano Machado/Reuters)

The three main government buildings — the Supreme Court, the presidential palace and the congressional building — involved in today's breach have been cleared of protesters, police said Sunday, according to CNN Brasil.

At least 170 people have been arrested since pro-Bolsonaro supporters stormed the building, CNN Brasil reports, citing Federal District Civil Police.

A senior government official vowed to punish those involved.

“I'm in the field, walking on the streets and personally commanding the security forces, fulfilling the mission I received from the President of the Republic. Nobody will go unpunished. The democratic rule of law will not be walled up by criminals,” Executive Secretary of the Brazilian Justice Minister Ricardo Cappelli said.

 

7:40 p.m. ET, January 8, 2023

Bolsonaro's party calls it a "sad day for Brazilian nation" after supporters storm government buildings

From CNN's Rodrigo Pedroso

Supporters of Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro demonstrate against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at Brazil’s National Congress in Brasília, Brazil on Sunday.
Supporters of Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro demonstrate against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at Brazil’s National Congress in Brasília, Brazil on Sunday. (Ton Molina/Fotoarena/Sipa/AP)

“Today is sad day for the Brazilian nation,” Valdemar Costa Neto, head of Jair Bolsonaro´s right-wing Liberal Party, said in a statement after pro-Bolsonaro supporters broke into key government buildings.

“We cannot agree with the depredation of the National Congress. All ordered manifestations are legitimate," the statement continues. "Disorder has never been part of the principles of our nation. I want to say to you that we strongly condemn this type of attitude. And that the law must be fulfilled, strengthening our democracy."

Some context: While the party's candidate has said he would cooperate with the peaceful transition of power, he has also declined to explicitly concede his election loss in October.

The election came amid a tense and polarized political climate in Brazil, which has been struggling with high inflation, limited growth and rising poverty.

In the weeks since Bolsonaro's loss, thousands of his supporters have gathered at military barracks across the country, asking the army to step in as they claim, with no evidence, that the election was stolen.

6:41 p.m. ET, January 8, 2023

Brazilian presidential official shares video of the vandalism in his palace office

From CNN’s Maija Ehlinger and Rodrigo Pedroso

The communications minister for Brazil's president published a video giving a walking tour of his office in the Planalto Palace after pro-Bolsonaro supporters vandalized it on Sunday.

"I'm in my office on the second floor of the Planalto Palace. As you can see everything was destroyed," Paulo Pimenta says in the video. "This is a criminal thing that was done here, this is a revolting thing. Works of art ... Look what the vandals did here, the chaos the vandals made here. Destroyed works of art, the country's heritage."

The video shows furniture overturned and offices along a corridor in disarray. 

Pimenta added that it is "unbelievable what has been done in the Palace. Look at the state of the room, equipment, computers. Look here ... they are marginals, who have to be treated as criminals who did this against democracy and against Brazil."

Watch the clip below: