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Numerous works of art and an iconic watch made by King Louis XIV’s watchmaker are among the many “incalculable” losses left by the horde of Bolsonaristas who attacked the Planalto Palace, Congress and the Supreme Court on January 8. The Government mobilizes restaurateurs and assesses the damage, while thousands of protesters demand jail for those responsible for the unprecedented violence in the history of Brazil that hit the three seats of power.
The unprecedented attack on institutions in Brazil also leaves a World Heritage Site heavily wounded.
The modernist works of the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer made the Planalto Presidential Palace, the seat of Congress and the Supreme Court emblematic constructions that earned the urban fabric of Brasilia UNESCO recognition in 1987, but today they are the scene of damage and loss .
According to the balance released by the Government, great works such as the oil painting ‘As mulatas’, by the painter Di Cavalcanti, exhibited at the Executive headquarters, the granite statue ‘La Justicia’, sculpted in 1961 by the Brazilian Alfredo Ceschiatti, the table Juscelino Kubitscheck, the visionary former Brazilian president, and a pendulum clock, which King John VI of Portugal received as a gift from French King Louis XIV in the 18th century, are among the many destructions left behind by the horde of supporters of the ex-president Jair Bolsonaro.
The damage to glass, furniture and windows is also evident and shows the anger of the supporters of the ex-governor who attacked the three seats of power in the country and ruined everything in their path on Sunday, January 8. An attack considered by some as an attempted “coup d’état”.
Many of them said they wanted the Brazilian Army to restore the far-right ex-president to office and overthrow left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who was newly inaugurated on January 1.
The chapter of unprecedented violence against the heart of Brazilian democracy recalls striking similarities with the assault on the United States Capitol in 2021, by a mob of supporters of Donald Trump after the former president alleged alleged fraud in the presidential elections with those who sought re-election, against the current head of state, Joe Biden.
The Brazilian Presidency pointed out that the losses suffered are “incalculable”, due to the history they represent.
“The terrorists who invaded the Planalto Palace looted and destroyed an important part of the artistic and architectural heritage gathered there and that represents an important chapter of national history,” said a statement from the Executive.
The Minister of Culture, Margareth Menezes, pointed out that restoration experts are mobilized to “urgently” begin the recovery of all the assets that were “brutally and absurdly destroyed”.
According to the director of Curatorship of the Presidential Palaces, Rogerio Carvalho, the recovery of most of the works would be “possible”, but he warns that it will take time and will be “expensive”.
Brazil must “fight terrorism”
This Tuesday, January 10, the judge of the Supreme Court of Brazil, Alexandre de Moraes, assured that the country must firmly combat “terrorism” and “anti-democratic people who attempt a coup.”
“Democracy will prevail and Brazilian institutions will not give in,” said Moraes, who is leading an investigation into the anti-democratic protests that have left around 1,500 people in custody, after the police dismantled the camp from which the attack was launched.
His pronouncement took place hours after thousands of people took to the streets in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo to demand that the people involved in the violent acts be punished with jail.
“No amnesty!” thousands of people shouted in unison, accompanied by posters and banners against the assault and in favor of democracy.
“These people must be punished, the people who ordered it must be punished, those who gave money for it must be punished (…) They do not represent Brazil. We represent Brazil,” said Bety Amin, a therapist and one of the protesters who walked along the main boulevard in Sao Paulo.
The authorities indicated that they are conducting investigations into those who would have been behind the peculiar uprising. The press office of the Federal Police reported that the authorities plan to accuse around 1,000 people who are linked to the events.
Likewise, President ‘Lula’, the heads of the Supreme Court, the Senate and the Lower House signed a letter in which they denounced what happened and indicated that they will take the necessary measures.
Pressure mounts on Biden over Bolsonaro’s stay in Florida
In the United States, pressure is increasing on President Joe Biden over Bolsonaro’s stay in Florida.
The former president, who traveled to that city two days before his term ended, which is why he was not present at the handover of command on January 1, has been hospitalized since Monday, January 9 due to abdominal pain related to the stabbing he suffered during his first presidential campaign in 2018.
The White House reported on Monday that it has not yet received any requests from the Brazilian government regarding Bolsonaro’s status, but his presence there heightens criticism that the Biden Administration would be harboring a man accused by his successor of fomenting undemocratic violence. .
“Bolsonaro should not be in Florida (…) The United States should not be a refuge for this authoritarian who has inspired internal terrorism in Brazil. He should be sent back to Brazil,” Democratic lawmaker Joaquín Castro told local television.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also echoed the rejection of the former head of state of the Latin American giant and the questioning of the Government for allowing his permanence.
“Almost two years to the day that the United States Capitol was attacked by fascists, we see fascist movements abroad trying to do the same in Brazil. We must show solidarity with ‘Lula’ and the democratically elected government. The United States must stop granting Bolsonaro refuge in Florida”, pointed out the also member of the Democratic Party.
Nearly 2 years to the day the US Capitol was attacked by fascists, we see fascist movements abroad attempt to do the same in Brazil.
We must stand in solidarity with @LulaOficial‘s democratically elected government. ??
The US must cease granting refuge to Bolsonaro in Florida. https://t.co/rzsZl9jwZY
—Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 8, 2023
What would be the possibility that Bolsonaro would be forced to leave the United States? Some analysts highlight that for the moment there are no legal elements that support an extradition.
Furthermore, forcing out a former president of an allied state who entered the United States on a first-tier visa raises uncomfortable questions about due process.
However, John Feeley, former US ambassador to Panama from 2015 to 2018 when the Central American nation requested the extradition of former President Ricardo Martinelli, assured that it is possible to revoke Bolsonaro’s visa.
“The United States or any sovereign nation can expel an alien, even one who entered lawfully on a visa, for any reason… It is a purely sovereign decision for which no legal justification is required,” Feeley added.
Sources in Washington, cited by Reuters, say that a decision on the status of the former Brazilian president’s visa will probably not be made until there are clearer conclusions about what happened last weekend.
For now, the presence of Bolsonaro on US soil puts more and more pressure on the Biden Executive, from which an upcoming pronouncement is expected.
With Reuters, AFP, AP and local media
