Brazilian security forces managed to stop major riots on Sunday, in which hundreds of supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court, in what President Luis Inácio Lula da Silva condemned as a "fascist" attack.
After several hours of chaos on January 8, there was a massive operation to drive protesters out of institutions and arrest them, he reports Radio Free Europe (RSE).
Security forces used riot police on horseback, water cannons and tear gas bombs fired from helicopters to stop the protesters.
Lula, who was in the southeastern city of Araraquara visiting a region hit by heavy flooding, signed a decree ordering the intervention of federal forces in Brasilia. The National Guard then entered the city and the center was closed for 24 hours.
The president said that the perpetrators will be punished after the supporters of the former president of the country, the extreme right-winger Zair Bolsonaro, broke into state institutions.
As seen on the CNN footage, the police detained dozens of protesters in front of the presidential palace.
Da Silva, better known as Lula, said there was "no precedent in the history of the country" for the scenes seen in Congress and at the Supreme Court. He called the violence "acts of vandals and fascists".
Lula, who was on an official trip to the state of Sao Paulo, returned to Brasilia and visited the presidential palace and the Supreme Court, Globo television reported this morning.
The president blames the security forces
Lula stated that "the police did nothing at all". "They just let the protesters in," he said, criticizing the security forces of the Federal District (DF) of Brasilia.
"There was, I would say, incompetence, ill will or inadvertence of the people who take care of public safety in the District. It is not the first time. You will see in the pictures that they (police officers) lead people on a walk to Praça dos Três Powers," said the president.
"We will find out who are the financiers of these vandals who went to Brasilia and everyone will pay according to the law," he added.
Demonstrators targeted the police, broke windows and destroyed the interior of institutions.
The camping turned into a riot
The protesters, who broke the windows of the building, were camping nearby, reports the BBC. Many of them have set up camps in cities across Brazil, some of them outside military barracks.
Their movements appeared to have been curbed by Lula's inauguration - the camps were dismantled and there were no riots on the day he was sworn in. But scenes from Sunday showed those predictions were premature, according to the BBC.
Minister of Justice and Public Security Flavio Dino called the invasion "an absurd attempt to impose the will (of the protesters) by force."
Bolsonaro's supporters are calling for military intervention and the resignation of Da Silva, who defeated his far-right rival in elections in October.
Support for Lula from Washington and Brussels
US President Joe Biden called the attack on government buildings "outrageous". It was his first direct public comment on the events in Brasilia.
Earlier, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan condemned the attack on government buildings in Brasilia and said President Biden was monitoring the situation.
"The United States condemns any effort to undermine democracy in Brazil. President Biden is closely monitoring the situation and our support for Brazil's democratic institutions is unwavering," he tweeted.
The leaders of the European Union (EU) also condemned the intrusion of the demonstrators.
"My absolute condemnation of the attack on Brazil's democratic institutions," European Council President Charles Michel wrote on Twitter.
"Full support for President Lula Inácio Da Silva, democratically elected by millions of Brazilians through fair and free elections," he added.
The Union's high representative for foreign policy, Josep Borelj, said he was "appalled by the acts of violence and illegal occupation" carried out by "violent extremists" in the Brazilian capital Brasilia.
"Full support to the president and his government, Congress and the Federal Supreme Court. Brazilian democracy will prevail over violence and extremism," he wrote on Twitter.
"The place to resolve political differences is within Brazil's democratic institutions, not through violence in the streets," he added.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola tweeted in Portuguese that she was deeply concerned about what was happening in Brazil and that democracy must always be respected.
Leaders from Latin America condemned the violence
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopes Obrador condemned "the undemocratic coup attempt by conservatives in Brazil, instigated by the leaders of the oligarchic power, its spokesmen and fanatics."
"Lula is not alone, he has the support of progressive forces in his country, Mexico, the American continent and the world," Lopes Obrador wrote on Twitter.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric said Brazil has "full support in facing this cowardly and vile attack on democracy."
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said "fascism has decided to stage a coup," while Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Mexico expressed "full support for President Lula's popularly elected administration."
Lula narrowly won the October presidential election in a runoff, scoring 50,9 percent to Bolsonaro's 49,1 percent.
In his inaugural speech, he promised to rebuild the country in "terrible ruins." He condemned the policies of his predecessor, who went to the US to avoid the handover ceremony.
Like January 6th at the Capitol
The scenes in Brasilia resemble the events in the US Capitol on January 6 two years ago when supporters of Donald Trump stormed there - and there are deeper connections, according to the BBC.
Former President Donald Trump and some of his key allies who are spreading rumors of electoral fraud and disinformation surrounding the 2020 US elections have ties to Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro's son Eduardo met with Trump in November and also spoke with Trump advisers Jason Miller and Stephen Bannon, according to reports from the Washington Post and other news agencies.
Bannon devoted several episodes of his podcast to claims of election fraud and promoted it hashtag #BrazilianSpring, an apparent attempt to encourage mass mobilization against President Lula.
Online, Bolsonaro's supporters are agitating about an existential national crisis and an alleged "communist takeover" — exactly the same rhetoric that moved protesters in Washington two years ago.
On Telegram and Trump's social network Truth, one of the key organizers of the pro-Trump "Stop the Steal" campaign encouraged the crowd, writing: "Do whatever it takes!"
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