While it may be a worn-out analogy to say that Democrats never let a crisis go to waste, that is precisely what they are doing in response to Brazilians expressing their abject dissatisfaction with the outcome of that country’s recent presidential election by storming Brazil’s National Congress — the legislative body was not in session.
With Donald Trump running again in 2024, the left in America was quick to link events in Brazil, where there are vast concerns about the integrity of their recent election that resulted in a victory for now-President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a radical left candidate challenging the incumbent president, to the Jan. 6, 2021, protest at the U.S. Capitol.
“Supporters of Brazil’s right-wing former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed the National Congress and other government buildings in the capital Brasilia on Sunday in an attack that echoed the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot by supporters of former President Donald Trump,” Axios reported.
Here’s CNN’s contribution to keep the Jan. 6 narrative alive:
"It looks very, very close to what happened to the United States on January 6th."
Supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro breached security barriers and gained access to Brazil's congressional building, the Supreme Court and the presidential palace, images show. pic.twitter.com/iGOi9U01wY
— CNN (@CNN) January 8, 2023
In a familiar refrain, NBC reported of the Brazilian protests, “The incidents, which recalled the Jan. 6, 2021, invasion of the U.S. Capitol, come amid disinformation about the election, aimed mostly at Lula.”
(When conservatives lose elections any concerns are dismissed as “disinformation.”)
As for familiarity, Lula called those who attacked Congress “fascists” on Twitter, according to NBC.
“Whoever did this will be found and punished. Democracy guarantees the right to free expression, but it also requires people to respect institutions,” he tweeted. “There is no precedent in the history of the country what they did today. For that they must be punished.”
The protesters also breached Planalto Palace, the Brazilian president’s official residence.
Video captured supporters of former president #Bolsonaro smashing their way into the Planalto Palace in Brasilia. The building is the official office of the president. #Brazil pic.twitter.com/Ove6rbaguO
— Andy Ngô ️ (@MrAndyNgo) January 8, 2023
President Lula was out of town, but shared the image below along with the message: “I was just tonight at the Planalto Palace and at the STF. The coup plotters who promoted the destruction of public property in Brasilia are being identified and will be punished. Tomorrow we resume work at the Planalto Palace. Democracy always. Goodnight.”
Estive agora à noite no Palácio do Planalto e no STF. Os golpistas que promoveram a destruição do patrimônio público em Brasília estão sendo identificados e serão punidos. Amanhã retomamos os trabalhos no Palácio do Planalto. Democracia sempre. Boa noite.
: @ricardostuckert pic.twitter.com/qkyVZHQQdz
— Lula (@LulaOficial) January 9, 2023
Unfortunately for the left in America, the Brazilian protesters missed the Jan. 6 anniversary by 2 days — not to be denied, they refer to that country’s “january 8 moment.”
brazil with their january 8 moment, as bolsonaro supporters storm congress and presidential palace in brasilia.
a day of national shame for brazil. no impact on the legitimate transfer of power to lula. pic.twitter.com/9J66J0LbOt
— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) January 8, 2023
Here’s a quick sampling of other left-wing reactions to the story from Twitter:
bolsonaro, “trump of the tropics”
never more true than todayhttps://t.co/nbiDTis6o5
— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) January 8, 2023
I condemn this outrageous assault on #Brazil’s govt buildings incited by demagogue Bolsonaro’s reckless disregard for democratic principles. 2 yrs since Jan.6, Trump’s legacy continues to poison our hemisphere. Protecting democracy & holding malign actors to account is essential. https://t.co/BnXFXRLKm2
— Senate Foreign Relations Committee (@SFRCdems) January 8, 2023
Brazil I’m very sorry we keep sending you our worst ideas
— Brian Winter (@BrazilBrian) January 8, 2023
The similarity in Brazil to Jan 6 is not a coincidence. The Brazilian right and especially far-right have long looked up to and modeled themselves after the US right. No one had to tell them to copy Trump.
— Max Fisher (@Max_Fisher) January 8, 2023
From the Trump/Far Right playbook, when democracy (ie ordinary people voting even when you make it difficult for them to vote) doesn’t go your way, then storm the Parliament/Capitol/Court
This time in Brazil where Bolsonaro’s thugs are in actionpic.twitter.com/00zzPVegaC
— nazir afzal (@nazirafzal) January 8, 2023
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