AOC says US must stop ‘granting refuge’ to Bolsonaro in Florida

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said the U.S. must “cease granting refuge” to Jair Bolsonaro in Florida as supporters of the former Brazilian president stormed the Brazilian Congress and presidential palace on Sunday.

After losing a second bid for president in the 2022 election to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of the leftist Worker’s Party, Bolsonaro blamed a software bug for his defeat. Ever since his final days in office, and before Lula’s inauguration, the right-wing former president has been in Florida.

PRO-BOLSONARO PROTESTERS STORM BRAZILIAN CONGRESS AND PRESIDENTIAL PALACE

Scenes of the defeated president’s supporters storming the government buildings naturally evoked flashbacks to the Jan. 6 Capitol riots in the U.S. in 2021, especially so close to the anniversary. And similar to the Justice Department’s investigations into the rioters, Lula said the hundreds of protestors “will be found and punished.”

“Nearly 2 years to the day the US Capitol was attacked by fascists, we see fascist movements abroad attempt to do the same in Brazil. We must stand in solidarity with Lula’s democratically elected government,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote.

Bolsonaro denounced the actions of his supporters, per CNN, and his office previously said it was cooperating with the transition of power. However, Bolsonaro has not explicitly conceded his election loss.

World leaders, including President Joe Biden, have condemned the violent actions in Brazil. Biden says he looks forward to continuing to work with Lula. “I condemn the assault on democracy and on the peaceful transfer of power in Brazil. Brazil’s democratic institutions have our full support and the will of the Brazilian people must not be undermined.”