On January 8, 2023 a week after Brazil’s former president (turned again president) Luiz inacio da Silva took office, following the closest presidential elections since the end of Brazil’s over 20-year-old military dictatorship -begun by a 1964 coup partly supported by the United States – a mob of supporters for the defeated far-right president Jair Bolsonaro.
The closest presidential election since the end of Brazil’s over 20-year military dictatorship, which was started in 1964 by a coup partially supported by the United States—a mob of supporters of defeated far-right President Jair Bolsonaro stormed and vandalized the center of the country ’s main legal powers—was won by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on January 8, 2023.
Bolsonaro was in Orlando, Florida, at the time. He was no present as supporters of his cause descended upon the Three Powers Square in the capital, prepared to openly attack Brazil’s 40-year-old democracy by looting the Supreme Court, Congress buildings, and political offices. The insurrectionists yelled” God, nation, family, and, freedom” while wearing the national flag’s yellow, green, or violet hues, a troubled symbol that had come to represent pride for some and regression for others over the previous four years.
Some demanded martial action. They hoped that soldiers who supported Bolsonaro, an outspoken supporter of the dictatorship, would “restore the order.” If no, rioters were prepared to resolve the situation on their own. Below, they were instructed to do that. Similar to their American counterparts, those who invaded and defaced people structures boldly recorded themselves as they attempted to overthrow their government, leaving behind irrefutable proof of the numerous crimes committed.
Brazil is making an effort to remember on the second anniversary of January8. There were numerous comparisons made at the time to America’s attempted coup. The title of a piece I wrote at the time was” Brazil Only Had Its January 6.” They had to happen. Portuguese and US authorities shared worries—and intelligence—that a copycat antidemocratic act had been in the works, as media reports would eventually reveal. However, the aftermath has been very unique.
Brazil is remembering its coup one year later as a chance to celebrate its democracy and what was preserved when protesters failed on January 8 rather than as an indication that it might happen again.
The title of a book and 57-minute documentary released by the Supreme Court on January 8 is” Unshaken Democracy,” and Brazil will host an official event today with the original title” Democracy Restored.” Alexandre de Moraes, the president of the Superior Electoral Court, and other officials are scheduled to speak at the event, which Lula requested of his ministers. There will be a symbolic ceremony to return some of the since-restored priceless works of art and historical records that the insurrectionists damaged to their proper locations.
Despite all the comparisons, Bolsonaro has never been Trump, which makes a lot of this possible. He has mostly avoided the media and has not been as tenacious in his defense of election lies. The desire for a coup was present, but there was no leader, as Argentine Defense Minister José Mcio Monteiro just stated in an interview. He claimed that” the institutions did n’t want the coup.”
It is a result of compromise as well. Diverse political leaderships banded together in aggressive condemnation of the attacks in the days following the unsuccessful coup attempt. Days later, a display of unity was embodied by the image of Lula walking hand in hand with state governors as they descended the ramp leading to the damaged Planalto national offices. Then, Lula declared,” We wo n’t let democracy slip out of our hands.” There was little room for hesitation in understanding and characterizing what had happened as a failed attempt to throw away the Constitution, probably due to the nation’s also recent history of armed coup. Brazilians protested in favor of democracy across the nation, calling for the rioters and their instigators to be held responsible.
The total picture of the violence, destruction, and rebel intent—and of a nearby call it was—would not, however, be completely known without further investigation and an continued common reckoning, just as with the British experience. Bolsonaro was identified as the “intellectual author” of the attacks in a 1, 300-page congressional report that was made public in October 2023, and 60 other people were also charged with crimes such as coup d ‘état, violently removing the democratic rule of law, criminal association. According to the last report,” January 8 is the work of Bolsonarismo,”” Brazilian democracy was attacked and masses were manipulated by hate speech.” A previous Bolsonaro ally’s testimony to investigators regarding a alleged coup plot to sabotage the election results that the president would have been made aware of was included in the evidence.
For their part in the attacks, more than 2,000 people were detained; 30 have since been found guilty, and some have received up to 17-year prison terms. There was a plan in place to formally hang him on the plaza in Brazil, according to Supreme Court justice and president of the Superior Electoral Court Alexandre de Moraes, who is the rapporteur for the fugitive investigation into the events of January8. Two of Bolsonaro’s biggest adversaries, Moraes and the Supreme Court, played a crucial—if contentious—role in protecting the workings of the administrative apparatus and finally ensuring the transfer of power.
It might be too early to tell whether Brazil’s memory of the coup will live on or whether the far-right there has finally lost its anti-democratic illusions. Brazilians are said to have a small memory and, over time, tend to overlook even the worst offenses or transgressions committed against them, including those committed by their leaders. This is said in jest. However, a movement has been launched to commemorate the “day of infamy” —a term used to refer to the now-retired Supreme Court justice—one year after an awful incident in the nation’s history. The closest presidential election since the end of Brazil’s over 20-year military dictatorship, which was started in 1964 by a coup partially supported by the United States—a mob of supporters of defeated far-right President Jair Bolsonaro—was held on January 8, 2023, one week after former president ( turned president again ) Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office.
On January 8, 2023 a week after Brazil’s former president (turned again president) Luiz inacio da Silva took office, following the closest presidential elections since the end of Brazil’s over 20-year-old military dictatorship -begun by a 1964 coup partly supported by the United States – a mob of supporters for the defeated far-right president Jair Bolsonaro.
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/01/in-brazil-another-way-to-remember-an-attempted-coup/
