Article originally published in the Orlando Sentinel
By Robert Weiner and Parker Treichel
Bolsonaro supporters storm presidential palace Supporters of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro have invaded the country's presidential palace, Congress and ministries' ...
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January 6th marked the second anniversary of the insurrection by Trump supporters after the former president lost the 2020 election. On January 8th, Brazil faced a similar, horrific event. Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, now residing in Orlando, broke into the Supreme National Congress of Brazil, Federal Court and the Planalto Presidential Palace. The two insurrections were strikingly similar, including the destruction of buildings, windows, property and artwork. Trump insurrection supporters stole then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi's laptop, podium and a letter she wrote to another member of the House of Representatives. Brazil had gifts from foreign leasders stolen. Both insurrections set out to overturn each country's election because the far-right candidate did not win, posing a threat to democracies around the world as a model of how to play sour grapes.
The comparisons are easy. Bolsonaro was often compared to Trump and they have numerous policies and statements that mirror each other. Bolsonaro was known as "Trump of the Tropics." While Bolsonaro denounced the riot he still held the responsibility for spreading the disinformation and conspiracy theories that the election was stolen from him. Steve Bannon, a constant figure in Trump's White House even after Bannon was no longer on staff, "reported" on Brazil's election for Breitbart News. Bannon has also worked closely with Brazilian congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, Jair Bolsonaro's son, about the power of his base. Eduardo Bolsonaro also met with ex-President Trump at Mar a Lago on October 30th. Since former President Bolsonaro lost, Bannon spread similar misinformation about Brazil's election that he said about the 2020 U.S. election. He claimed that the voting machines in Brazil were hacked. Both "hacking" allegations were false, and both Trump and Bolsonaro lost.
Luiz Ina'cio "Lula" da Silva was sworn in as president on January 1, 2023, giving him the ability to respond fast to arrest people and not just let people leave, as they did in the U.S. International observers including judges confirmed the legitimacy of the Brazilian election, David Anderson, an American judge who observed in Brazil and a member of the National Press Club, told us. By Monday 1,200 people had been detained according to Fla'vio Dino, the Minister of Justice. There have been 978 arrests in the January 6 insurrection as of the two-year anniversary. Lula promised that those who participated in the insurrection would be brought to justice.
For Brazil, the idea of an unelected leader is not new and was the norm from 1964-1985. The U.S. government backed the military regime that ran the country. Bolsonaro's presidency reminded people of the suppressive policies of the previously unelected government. His attacks on left-wing groups or calling anything he doesn't like socialism and denial of fact echoed a time in Brazil that remains at the top of mind for a generation of activists. The U.S. supported the military dictatorship during the Cold War when the U.S. government saw communism as a strong force that could compromise human rights and civil liberties. Since Biden became president, Trump supporters and media outlets like Fox News and Newsmax have called the entire left of the political spectrum Communist or Socialist. Insurrectionists on January 6 flew the South Vietnam flag, used by Trump supporters to "express nostalgia for a lost home and opposition to communism."
A new wave of far-right leaders has emerged in the world most notably G iorgia Meloni the prime minister of Italy causing fear and echoes of Italy's fascist party during World War II.
Hungary's president Viktor Orba'n spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Texas last year and made international news about his extreme policies saying "Hungary must not become a mixed-race country." Jair Bolsonaro also spoke at CPAC, in Brazil,* saying "I lam in favor of torture" and "Stop whining at Covid deaths". Belarus's leader Alexander Lukashenko won the country's first free election after the fall of the USSR in 1994. Every election since has faced credible claims of interference. According to Radio free Europe in 1996 he "won" with 75% of the vote and since then received at least 80% in every election. His opponents never passed 10%.
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