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Brazil Congress: Big pro-democracy rallies

held to condemn rioters
41 minutes ago

Watch: Thousands hold pro-democracy rallies in Brazil

By Katy Watson in São Paulo & Yaroslav Lukov in London

BBC News

Tens of thousands of people in Brazil have held pro-democracy rallies, in an

angry response to the storming of Congress by ex-President Jair Bolsonaro's
supporters.

In the country's largest city of São Paulo, crowds chanted that Mr Bolsonaro
must go to prison.

About 1,500 people have been held over Sunday's riots in the capital Brasília.

They came a week after President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was sworn in after
October's election that divided Brazil.

On Monday evening, the 77-year-old new leader - widely known as Lula -

visited the damaged buildings of Congress, the presidential palace and
Supreme Court together with the country's governors, condemning the
"terrorist acts" and vowing to punish the perpetrators.

Mr Bolsonaro, 67, has not admitted defeat in the tightly-fought election, and
flew to the US before the handover on 1 January. On Monday, he was admitted
to hospital in Florida with abdominal pain.

Marina Rodrigues Carmona fears that similar rioting could happen again

On Monday, street rallies were held in a number of cities and towns.

The turnout at São Paulo's demonstration was impressive, the BBC's Katy
Watson reports from the city. A part of Paulista Avenue, Brazil's most famous
street, was blocked off as crowds filled the area, singing, dancing and chanting
for justice.

Many came dressed in red, the colours of Lula's Workers' Party; others waved
placards saying "No amnesty for the coup mongers" and called for those
responsible to be punished. There were also chants of "Prison for Bolsonaro".
"I don't agree with what happened in Brasília - it was a nightmare. I don't agree
with those who believe that with democracy you can use your power to
destroy democracy," Gabriel, who only gave his first name, told the BBC.

"I want to show to the world and our country that even though there are
thousands of people who believe the elections weren't valid, here in Brazil, we
have a gigantic number of people who believe we can trust our government,
we can trust in our democracy," he said.

REUTERS

A pro-democracy march in Porto Alegre in southern Brazil, around 1,200 miles (1931km) from the capital
Brasilia, where the riots happened

Marina Rodrigues Carmona, another demonstrator, told the BBC: "Polarisation

is a big problem - everyone has their own ideas, and I don't think there's much
dialogue between the two sides."

There was, however, a huge police presence. At times, the atmosphere has felt
tense. People are still processing what happened in Brasilia and nerves haven't
yet calmed for many, our correspondent says.

Sunday's dramatic scenes in Brasília saw thousands of protesters clad in

yellow Brazil football shirts and flags overrun police and ransack the heart of
the Brazilian state.

Lula was forced to declare emergency powers.

On Monday morning, heavily armed officers started dismantling a camp of Mr

Bolsonaro's supporters in Brasília - one of a number that have been set up
outside army barracks around the country since the tightly-fought presidential
election.
 Watch: Ros Atkins on... Why the Brazil riots happened

Authorities arrested 1,200 people on Monday - in addition to 300 detained a

day earlier.

Mr Bolsonaro condemned the attack and denied responsibility for

encouraging the rioters in a post on Twitter some six hours after violence
broke out.

Meanwhile, Brasília Governor Ibaneis Rocha has been removed from his post
for 90 days by the Supreme Court.

Justice Minister Alexandre de Moraes accused him of failing to prevent the riot
and of being "painfully silent" in the face of the attack.

What do the Bolsonaro protesters in Brazil want?

‘Sad we’ve come to this point’

Video shared by the Brazilian outlet O Globo showed some officers laughing
and taking photos together as demonstrators occupied the congressional
campus in the background.
Bolsonaro supporters created camps in cities across Brazil, some of them
outside the military barracks. That is because his most ardent supporters want
the military to intervene and make good elections that they say were stolen.

Some protesters are not just angry that Mr Bolsonaro lost the election - they
want President Lula to return to prison.

How Trump's allies stoked the Brazilian riot

How did we get here?

Lula spent 18 months in jail after being found guilty of corruption in 2017. His
convictions were later annulled, after initially being sentenced to more than
nine years.

Heads of state around the world have also denounced the violence.

Late on Monday, President Joe Biden "conveyed the unwavering support of

the United States for Brazil's democracy" during a phone call with Lula, the
White House said in a statement.

Comparisons have been drawn with the storming of the US Capitol on 6

January 2021 by supporters of Donald Trump, an ally of Mr Bolsonaro.
More on this story
What do the Bolsonaro protesters in Brazil want?
19 hours ago

3:51

Ros Atkins on... Why the Brazil riots happened

12 hours ago

Brazil's government buildings stormed - key moments

23 hours ago

Lula is sworn in with promise to rebuild Brazil

1 January

Brazil's far-right faithfuls are not giving up

26 December 2022
Brazil's yellow shirt gets political in election battle
30 September 2022

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