Brazil’s Lula Decrees Federal Intervention in the Federal District After Attack in Brasilia

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Bloomberg Línea — Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (from PT, Workers’ Party) has just decreed federal intervention in the area of security in the Federal District after pro-Bolsonaro protesters, who reject the election results, invaded the Supreme Court, the National Congress and the Planalto Palace this Sunday afternoon and depredated facilities of the buildings that house them.

In a statement earlier, around 6 pm, Lula decreed intervention until 31 January. The executive secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Ricardo Garcia Capelli, will be the intervenor. According to the decree, the intervention will be limited to the area of public security to restore public order.

Capelli will be able to request financial and structural resources from the Federal District for the intervention, besides being able to request from the public administration the necessary means such as goods and servers, as well as the Fire Department of the Federal District, for the intervention.

The powers that are not directly related to public safety will remain under the Federal District government, currently in charge of Ibaneis Rocha (MDB).

In a statement, Lula called the situation in Brasilia on Sunday “barbaric” - thousands of protesters took the Plaza of Three Powers, many coming by bus to the federal capital. Hundreds invaded the outside area of the Congress, such as the ramp and the upper area, and many others invaded the buildings that house the Legislative, Judiciary, and Executive branches.

Below are the main extracts from President Lula’s statement:

“[The acts of depredation were] everything that is abominable in politics, they invaded the seat of government, of Congress, of the Supreme Court, like real vandals, destroying whatever they found in front of them.”

“We think there was a security breach. All the people who did this will be found and will be punished. They will realize that democracy guarantees the right to freedom and free speech but it also requires people to respect the institutions that were created to strengthen democracy.”

“We could call [the invaders of the buildings] fascists, Nazis because they did what has never been done in this country. The left has had people killed, people disappeared, and you have never read any news of a leftist movement invading the 3 Branches of Power.”

“There is no precedent in the history of our country [...] We will find out who the financiers of this invasion of Brasiíia are. They will pay with the force of the law for this anti-democratic gesture.”