Scenes emerging from Brazil on Sunday are painting a dramatic picture of a nation on the verge of implosion.
The Associated Press reported that supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro have stormed multiple sites, including the country’s Congress and Supreme Court, as well as the presidential palace in the country’s capital.
This chaos took place just a week after the inauguration of far-left socialist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as president of Brazil.
The AP noted that, while some semblance of order has been restored at the presidential palace and Supreme Court, there are still “thousands of protesters” around Congress.
The palace and Supreme Court were starting to calm down less than three hours after being stormed.
Bolsonaro has refused to accept the results of the election, which took place in October in two different rounds because the first round of voting was so close.
The first round of voting featured multiple candidates, with Lula da Silva and Bolsonaro leading the pack in early October.
In the second round, Lula da Silva and Bolsonaro were the only two candidates.
Do you think Lula da Silva will be overthrown?
Yes: 90% (19 Votes)
No: 10% (2 Votes)
While the AP’s report already painted a chaotic picture, the videos circulating on social media show just how far gone the chaos has gotten.
Here are protesters who successfully stormed the Supreme Court:
Fascismo toma el Tribunal Supremo de Brasilia. Atentos con Brasil, a esta hora Bolsonaristas en varias instalaciones estatales. pic.twitter.com/KyjaTGVMeA
— Patricia Villegas Marin (@pvillegas_tlSUR) January 8, 2023
Here you can see a literal sea of humanity surrounding the country’s Congress:
🇧🇷 | 8 de Enero: Manifestantes de derecha irrumpen en el edificio del Congreso de Brasil en una masiva protesta reclamando que frenen las medidas dictatoriales de Lula.pic.twitter.com/IZXNyMgsP8
— La Derecha Diario (@laderechadiario) January 8, 2023
In this harrowing scene, seemingly ripped from a movie, protesters yanked a police officer off a horse before piling onto the officer:
Brazilian freedom protesters rip a dangerous lizard police officer from his horse and dog pile him. pic.twitter.com/Rz4kR7tv9r
— U (@urbanarson) January 8, 2023
According to the AP, protesters are demanding that there be a military intervention to either restore Bolsonaro as president or, alternatively, oust Lula da Silva.
The AP notes Bolsonaro actually recently flew to the United States, ahead of Lula da Silva’s inauguration.
As of this writing, Bolsonaro has yet to comment on the ongoing chaos on Twitter.
Lula da Silva, meanwhile, has tweeted out a steady stream of thoughts, condemning the protesters.
