Brazil Seeks to Punish Pro-Bolsonaro Rioters

Brazil Seeks to Punish Pro-Bolsonaro Rioters

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva promised to bring those responsible for the violence to justice after the attack on Congress, the Supreme¹ Court, and the presidential home in Brasília.

On Sunday, thousands of supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro broke windows, threw furniture, destroyed artwork, stole objects, and flooded offices during a three-hour riot in the capital area of Brasília.

Wearing green and yellow, the colors of the national flag, they were seeking to bring Bolsonaro back to power. Observers said the actions were like the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol building in 2021.

The Associated Press reported that one video showed a group of protesters pushing through a police line with limited struggle. Only a few officers deployed² pepper spray, a chemical often used to control crowds. Another showed officers standing³ by as protesters stormed Congress, including one recording⁴ images on his phone.

"These vandals...did what has never been done in the history of this country," said Lula who defeated Bolsonaro in a closely fought election. "All these people who did this will be found and they will be punished."

Lula blamed Bolsonaro for inciting⁵ his supporters with unproven claims about possible election cheating. He said, "Everybody knows there are various speeches of the ex-president encouraging this."

On Sunday, Bolsonaro was silent for nearly six hours about the events in Brasília before rejecting Lula's accusation⁶. He denied inciting his supporters. He said the rioters had "crossed the line".

Claims of cheating

Bolsonaro, who is now in the U.S. state of Florida, has yet to admit that he lost the election. He claimed that Brazil's electronic voting system was easy to misuse⁷ without offering any evidence. And his party's request to set aside ballots⁸ was dismissed in court.

Bolsonaro's supporters still refused to accept the results.

Paulo Calmon is a political science professor at the University of Brasília. He called Bolsonaro the "Trump⁹ of Latin America" and compared his supporters' actions on January 8 in Brasília to the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Mario Sérgio Lima is a political analyst¹⁰ at Medley¹¹ Advisors¹², a policy research group. He said, "These groups were created by him, by the radicalism¹³ he imposed on politics. There is no way to undo¹⁴ that..."

Unlike the 2021 attack in the U.S., few Brazilian officials would have been working in the top government buildings on a Sunday. But the president's allies raised questions about how public security forces in Brasília were so unprepared. They appeared to be easily overtaken by rioters who had been planning on social media for days to gather for weekend demonstrations¹⁵.

Thiago de Aragão is director of strategy at Brasília-based Arko Advice, a research company. He said, "Everyone knew they (the protesters) were coming to Brasília. The expectation was that the federal district's government was going to mount a response to protect the capital. They didn't do any of that."

Justice Minister Flávio Dino said the actions were the same as terrorism. He said officials were looking into who paid for the buses that transported protesters to the capital. "They will not succeed in destroying Brazilian democracy," he said.

Brazilian officials noted¹⁶ that the buildings would be searched for evidence including fingerprints¹⁸ and images.

On Monday, the justice ministry¹⁹ said more than 1,200 people had been detained.

Following the attack, many world leaders from Europe and Latin America voiced their support for Brazil's democratic government. U.S. President Joe Biden called the events an "assault on democracy and on the peaceful transfer of power."

Words in This Story

furniture –n. objects in the home or workplace such as chairs, tables, and shelves

various –adj. describing many different things

encourage –v. to make someone want to do something

radicalism –n. the opinions of people who support extreme change, especially in government

mount –v. to organize to carry out some action, especially involving many people and planning

fingerprint¹⁷ –n. a mark left by the fingers that can be copied and recorded

assault –n. an attack

transfer –v. to cause something to be moved from one person to another

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

2 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

3 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

4 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

5 inciting   

刺激的，煽动的

参考例句：

• What are you up to inciting mutiny and insubordination? 你们干吗在这里煽动骚动的叛乱呀。
• He was charged with inciting people to rebel. 他被控煽动民众起来叛乱。

6 accusation   

n.控告，指责，谴责

参考例句：

• I was furious at his making such an accusation.我对他的这种责备非常气愤。
• She knew that no one would believe her accusation.她知道没人会相信她的指控。

7 misuse   

n.误用，滥用；vt.误用，滥用

参考例句：

• It disturbs me profoundly that you so misuse your talents.你如此滥用自己的才能，使我深感不安。
• He was sacked for computer misuse.他因滥用计算机而被解雇了。

8 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

10 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

11 medley   

n.混合

参考例句：

• Today's sports meeting doesn't seem to include medley relay swimming.现在的运动会好象还没有混合接力泳这个比赛项目。
• China won the Men's 200 metres Individual Medley.中国赢得了男子200米个人混合泳比赛。

12 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

13 radicalism   

n. 急进主义, 根本的改革主义

参考例句：

• His radicalism and refusal to compromise isolated him. 他的激进主义与拒绝妥协使他受到孤立。
• Education produced intellectual ferment and the temptations of radicalism. 教育带来知识界的骚动，促使激进主义具有了吸引力。

14 undo   

vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销

参考例句：

• His pride will undo him some day.他的傲慢总有一天会毁了他。
• I managed secretly to undo a corner of the parcel.我悄悄地设法解开了包裹的一角。

15 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

16 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

17 fingerprint   

n.指纹；vt.取...的指纹

参考例句：

• The fingerprint expert was asked to testify at the trial.指纹专家应邀出庭作证。
• The court heard evidence from a fingerprint expert.法院听取了指纹专家的证词。

18 fingerprints   

n.指纹( fingerprint的名词复数 )v.指纹( fingerprint的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Everyone's fingerprints are unique. 每个人的指纹都是独一无二的。
• They wore gloves so as not to leave any fingerprints behind (them). 他们戴着手套，以免留下指纹。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。