The President-elect of Brazil, Lula, accuses his predecessor of inciting his supporters to violent protests. In Lula’s opinion, Bolsonaro has not yet gotten over his election defeat. The violence was triggered by the planned arrest of a Bolsonaro supporter.
In the face of clashes between demonstrators and the police in Brazil, newly elected President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has accused incumbent Jair Bolsonaro of inciting violence. Bolsonaro “still hasn’t acknowledged his defeat and is inciting these fascist demonstrators,” Lula told reporters on Tuesday.
Violent protests by supporters of the voted-out right-wing president shook the capital Brasilia on Monday evening (local time). Cars and buses went up in flames, and demonstrators tried to storm the police headquarters. As an AFP photographer reported, the police used rubber bullets and tear gas against Bolsonaro supporters, who threw stones and some were armed with sticks.
The escalation was triggered by the Supreme Court’s ruling that a Bolsonaro-supporting indigenous leader should be arrested for “anti-democratic” threats and violence. Prosecutors have accused him of inciting violence against Lula. Among other things, he is said to have organized a demonstration in front of the hotel where the left-leaning election winner is currently staying.
A few hours before the clashes, Lula was officially confirmed as the winner of the elections at a ceremony. At the celebrations on Monday, the 77-year-old was very touched and burst into tears. Lula narrowly won the presidential elections at the end of October against the far-right Bolsonaro, who had been Brazil’s head of state since 2019. The new head of state is scheduled to take office on January 1st.
