Joe Biden said the situation in Brazil is “distressing” after supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro invaded the country’s congress, palace and supreme court on Sunday, as some top US lawmakers called for the far-right figure to be extradited from the US.
Biden’s words of condemnation were echoed by world leaders around the world and some of Brazil’s closest neighbors.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who defeated Bolsonaro in a closely fought election last year, announced a federal security intervention in Brazil that would last until January 31 after security forces in the capital were initially overwhelmed by the invaders.
“I condemn the attack on Brazilian democracy and the peaceful transfer of power. Brazil’s democratic institutions have our full support and the will of the Brazilian people must not be compromised,” Biden said on Twitter.
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said in a tweet that “violence to attack democratic institutions is always unacceptable” and called for an immediate end to the invasion of democratic institutions in Brazil.
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the US condemns any attempt to undermine Brazilian democracy. “President Biden is following the situation closely and our support for democratic institutions in Brazil is unwavering. Brazil’s democracy will not be shaken by violence,” said Sullivan.
Bolsonaro left Brazil on the eve of Lula’s inauguration and is currently in Florida. Many in the US – and around the world – saw echoes of the 2021 invasion of the US Capitol in the actions of Bolsonaro’s supporters and called for the ex-president’s extradition.
Joaquin Castro, a member of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, told CNN that Bolsonaro has used “Trump’s playbook” to “encourage domestic terrorists to try to take over the government”.
“Right now Bolsonaro is in Florida… He should be extradited to Brazil… The United States should not be a haven for this authoritarian who has encouraged domestic terrorism in Brazil,” he said.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat in the United States House and a progressive figure, said: “Almost two years after the US Capitol was attacked by fascists, we see fascist movements abroad trying to do the same in Brazil.”
He asked the US to “stop harboring Bolsonaro in Florida”.
Almost 2 years after fascists attacked the US Capitol, we see fascist movements abroad trying to do the same thing in Brazil.
We must express our solidarity with the democratically elected government of @LulaOficial. 🇧🇷
The US must stop giving shelter to Bolsonaro in Florida. https://t.co/rzsZl9jwZY
The president of Chile, Gabriel Boric, called the attack on Brazilian institutions a “cowardly and vicious attack on democracy”.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said that “fascism has decided to stage a coup d’état… It is urgent that the OAS [Organization of American States] meet if it wants to continue living as an organization.”
Argentina’s President Alberto Fernandez tweeted that his country has given “unconditional support to @LulaOficial in the face of this attempted coup”.
Venezuelan President Nicola Maduro has said that he rejects “the violence created by Bolsonaro’s neo-fascist groups that have attacked the democratic institutions of Brazil”. Our support to @LulaOficial and the people of Brazil who will surely mobilize in defense of peace and their president.”
António Guterres, the Secretary General of the United Nations, said that Brazil is a “great democratic country” and that he is sure that “the will of the Brazilian people and the country’s institutions” will be respected.
Portuguese Foreign Minister João Gomes Cravinho took much of the blame for Bolsonaro and said “it would be very important if he had a message of condemnation for the mess that is happening in Brasilia.”
Human Right Watch “blamed the attack on a years-long campaign by former President Jair Bolsonaro and his allies to undermine democratic principles and spread baseless claims of electoral fraud.” The organization released a statement calling the attack “a heinous attack on Brazil’s democratic institutions by people who want to deny Brazilians the right to vote and elect their elected leaders, including by calling for military intervention.”
European Council President Charles Michel said Lula was “democratically elected by millions of Brazilians in fair and free elections,” and condemned the “attack on Brazil’s democratic institutions.”
Emmanuel Macron of France said that Lula can have the “unceasing support” of his country, and that “the will of the Brazilian people and democratic institutions must be respected!
The Australian government said it “condemns the attack on Brazil’s Congress, Supreme Court and Presidential palace”, which a spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade called “unacceptable”; democratic institutions and processes must be respected”.
