Images on TV channel Globo News showed protesters wandering through the presidential palace, many of them dressed in green and yellow, the colors of the flag that have also come to symbolize the Bolsonaro government.
The incidents were reminiscent of the January 6 invasion of the US Capitol, something many political analysts and the judiciary have been warning Bolsonaro about for months. But in this case, it’s likely that Congress and the Supreme Court had limited staff on the premises on Sunday.
Bolsonaro supporters have been protesting Lula’s election victory since October 30, blocking roads, setting fire to vehicles and gathering outside military buildings to ask the armed forces to intervene. Many believed that the election results were fraudulent or unreliable.
“This absurd attempt to impose their will by force will not prevail,” Justice Minister Flavio Dino said on his Twitter account. “The government of the Federal District has provided reinforcements. And the forces at our disposal are at work.”
Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco said he was in constant contact with Brasilia Governor Ibaneis Rocha and that the entire police force had been mobilized to bring the situation under control.
Bolsonaro, who flew to the US ahead of Lula’s inauguration, has yet to condemn or comment on the ongoing situation.