China News Service, January 10th (Reporter Meng Xiangjun) Famous artists’ artworks were destroyed, many offices were attacked, tables and chairs were overturned, and documents were scattered all over the place...

　　On January 8 local time, tens of thousands of demonstrators dressed in uniforms and held national flags, banners and sticks broke into the Congress, the Presidential Palace and the Federal Supreme Court, clashed with the military and police, and even stole the weapons of the Presidential Guard. .

　　Such a chaotic scene reminded the foreign media of the violent attack on the US Congress two years ago.

However, this time, it was not the supporters of former US President Trump, but the supporters of "Brazilian Trump" who broke into and damaged the offices of the Brazilian state authority.

On January 8, local time, in front of the Brazilian Congress, a man waved the Brazilian flag at the scene of an anti-government demonstration held by supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

　　The newly-inaugurated Brazilian President Lula made emergency deployments to quell the riots. More than 400 people have been arrested so far.

Looking back at the incident, at least three intriguing signals were sent out, highlighting the complexity of the country's political situation.

First signal:

The timing of the riots is intriguing

　　The riot broke out in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil.

At the time of the incident, Brazilian President Lula was inspecting the damage caused by the heavy rain in the state of Sao Paulo.

　　In the ensuing emergency speech, Lula strongly condemned the riots, accusing government buildings of being captured by "fascists" and "fanatics" as a "barbaric act."

At present, he has returned to the damaged presidential palace.

Data map: Brazilian President Lula.

　　Lula vowed to severely punish the rioters and root out the sponsors behind the scenes.

He decisively signed the Federal Intervention Security Act, strengthened the security of the capital Brasilia, and responded to the impact with a multi-pronged approach.

　　One, ordering the National Guard into Brasilia to restore order.

　　Second, order the closure of the center of Brasilia for 24 hours, including the main road where the administrative and government buildings are located, and declare that the local area has entered a state of federal security intervention, which will last until January 31.

　　Third, replace the head of local public security and appoint Deputy Minister of Justice Cappelli as the new head.

　　At present, according to Rocha, the governor of the Federal District of Brazil, more than 400 people involved in the riots have been arrested.

Brazil's "Folha Sao Paulo" stated that in order to drive the demonstrators out of the relevant buildings, military police, federal police, armored vehicles, and helicopters were dispatched together, and tear gas bombs, shock bombs, and pepper spray were deployed one after another...

　　Overall, it can be seen that the situation is quite serious, and the impact is not small.

　　Although everything is just speculation before the official investigation results come out, the first intriguing signal of the incident comes from the timing and form of the riot.

On January 8, local time, in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro held a demonstration against President Lula.

　　There are at least three thought-provoking points:

　　First, when the riot happened, Lula had just taken office for more than a week, and the president was not in the presidential palace when the incident happened. Is this a coincidence or a deliberate choice?

　　Second, as Lula said, it was the "oversight" in the capital's security that allowed the demonstrators to take advantage of it, which also led to an emergency change of the head of the capital's security.

So, where does the "missing" come from?

　　Third, why is the form of riots similar to that of the "superpower" in North America, as foreign media said?

Second signal:

The ex-president's intriguing performance

　　Indeed, Brazil is in an atmosphere of heightened political tension and polarization.

　　On the one hand, the right-wing forces represented by former President Bolsonaro are unwilling to be defeated; on the other hand, the left-wing forces represented by President Lula have returned to the center of power.

The fierce game between the two forces has created a complex and changeable political situation in Brazil.

Data map: Bolsonaro delivered a speech at the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

　　Bolsonaro has been dubbed the "Brazilian Trump".

He served seven terms as a fringe member of the lower house of Brazil's National Assembly and has expressed nostalgia for the country's military dictatorship.

He lost the support of moderate voters when he ran for re-election due to his poor response to the economy, the new crown epidemic and the protection of the Amazon rainforest.

　　On this occasion, the second intriguing signal appeared, and that was Bolsonaro's performance.

　　Since the defeat of the election, although his supporters have been questioning the fairness of the presidential election results without evidence, agitating and carrying out sabotage actions, and even calling for a military coup to remove Lula from power, Bolsonaro himself has been in public. The place was almost silent.

　　Even Bolsonaro's vice president, Mourao, criticized him for failing to appease and unite the country in time, but "letting anti-democratic sentiment create chaos and division."

The political party of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro described the violent attack on government institutions as "a sad day for Brazil".

Image source: Screenshot of CNN report

　　During his tenure as president, only the Federal Supreme Court of Brazil could initiate a criminal investigation against Bolsonaro, but with Lula sworn in as the new President of Brazil on January 1, 2023, Bolsonaro lost his judicial immunity.

Right now, he, his confidants and his two sons are facing charges of spreading false information and attacking the electoral system.

　　When taking the oath of office, Lula criticized Bolsonaro's practices during his tenure without naming names, emphasizing that "those who make mistakes will pay the price for their mistakes."

He believes that "the edifice that this country built for rights, sovereignty and development has been systematically damaged in recent years."

　　The British "Guardian" and others disclosed that 48 hours before the end of the Brazilian presidency, Bolsonaro had secretly left the country and flew to Florida, the United States for "asylum", and did not attend Lula's inauguration ceremony.

　　What is even more intriguing is that even though foreign media found his nephew at the scene of the riot, Bolsonaro rarely spoke out, denying any connection with the riot.

"I deny the allegations against me by the current president of Brazil, which has no evidence," he said.

The third signal:

America's statement is intriguing

　　After the sudden change in the situation in Brazil, all parties expressed their positions one after another.

Condemning violence and supporting the democratically elected government of Brazil is the common choice of the international community.

Data map: UN Secretary-General Guterres.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Liao Pan

United Nations

　　"Brazil is a great democratic country," UN Secretary-General Guterres emphasized that the will of the Brazilian people and democratic institutions "must be respected."

latin american and caribbean countries

　　The governments of Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Venezuela and other Latin American and Caribbean countries criticized the riots.

　　Argentine President Fernandez described the riots in Brazil as a "coup attempt". He also called on all member states to jointly fight against Brazil's anti-democratic process as the president of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the rotating presidency of Mercosur.

Europe

　　EU Foreign and Security Policy High Representative Borrell, French President Macron, Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez and other leaders of European countries and institutions condemned the violence and expressed their support for Brazil's democratically elected government and democratic system.

United States

　　U.S. President Joe Biden condemned the demonstrators' forcible entry into Brazil's state authority, calling the attack on Brazil's democracy and the peaceful transfer of power "outrageous."

Biden said Brazil's democracy "has our full support."

Data map: During the Summit of the Americas, US President Biden met with then-Brazilian President Bolsonaro (left).

　　U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. "joins President Lula in calling for an immediate cessation of these actions."

　　Menendez, chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, named the name: "I condemn Bosonaro for ignoring democratic principles and inciting shameless attacks on Brazilian government buildings." "It has been two years since the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol. The legacy continues to poison the northern hemisphere."

　　I have to say that the statements of American politicians are the most intriguing signal in the whole thing.

　　On the one hand, the Democratic Party of the United States is in power. In order to condemn Trump, the Republican opponent, the Biden administration publicly stated that it would stand with Lula, who the United States had tried every means to "get rid of".

　　However, the United States seems to have suffered from amnesia. Who regards Latin America as their own backyard and does whatever they want?

Who instigated color revolutions and coups in Latin American countries, including Brazil?

Does Lula need America's "sympathy and support"?

　　On the other hand, has the United States forgotten Bolsonaro's "asylum" in Florida?

The fate of the abandoned son of "Brazilian Trump" came so quickly?

Data map: Brazilian President Lula was once considered to be related to the corruption case of a state-owned enterprise and was sentenced to 9 and a half years in prison. The picture shows reporters flocking to interview him when he went to the police station in 2018.

　　In fact, it was not easy for Lula, who was a trade union leader, to be elected president this time. He was hailed as the "Phoenix Nirvana" by the Brazilian Labor Party.

During the previous two terms of Brazil's president, Lula boosted the Brazilian economy and helped millions of Brazilians out of poverty, and his reputation was extremely high.

　　However, after leaving office, Lula was accused of corruption and imprisoned. After spending 580 days in prison, the conviction was overturned.

As he wins a historic third term as president, the veteran, dubbed the "Bolsonaro antidote," is expected to unleash economic and social justice to unite the country once again.

(Finish)