Biden condemns ‘assault on democracy’ after rioters storm Brazil government offices

by Lauren Sforza - 01/09/23 7:46 AM ET

President Biden condemned the protesters who stormed government offices in Brazil on Sunday in rioting reminiscent of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, vowing that Brazil’s democratic institutions have his administration’s “full support.”

“I condemn the assault on democracy and on the peaceful transfer of power in Brazil,” Biden said in a statement posted on Twitter. “Brazil’s democratic institutions have our full support and the will of the Brazilian people must not be undermined.”

Thousands of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s supporters stormed the nation’s Congress, Supreme Court and presidential palace on Sunday to protest the results of the presidential election. Bolsonaro, who lost his reelection bid in October, did not completely concede to the newly elected President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whose inauguration took place a week prior to the Sunday riots.

Protesters, supporters of Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro, storm the the National Congress building in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Protesters, supporters of Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro, stand on the roof of the National Congress building after they stormed it, in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Protesters, supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro, clash with police during a protest outside the Planalto Palace building in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023. Other demonstrators stormed congress and the Supreme Court. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Protesters, supporters of Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro, storm the National Congress building in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Protesters, supporters of Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro, rifle through papers on a desk after storming the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023. Planalto is the official workplace of the president of Brazil. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Protesters, supporters of Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro, sit in front of police after inside Planalto Palace after storming it, in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023. Planalto is the official workplace of the president of Brazil. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
A Police helicopter flies over the Planalto Palace after it was stormed and vandalized by supporters of Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023. Protesters who refuse to accept Bolsonaro´s election defeat stormed Congress, the Supreme Court and presidential palace in the capital, a week after the inauguration of his rival, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Biden added in his statement that he looks forward to continuing to work with Lula.

When asked about the unfolding situation as he visited the southern border yesterday, Biden described the events as “outrageous.”

Unlike the events that unfolded just more than two years ago at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., few officials were working in the Brazil government buildings Sunday.

Bolsonaro is believed to be in Florida, after fleeing Brazil amid ongoing investigations from his time in office, according to The New York Times. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) called for Bolsonaro’s extradition back to Brazil on Sunday, saying that the United States should not be a “refuge” for an authoritarian leader like Bolsonaro.

At least 300 rioters were arrested during the protests Sunday, according to the federal district’s civil police. CNN reported early Monday morning that Brazilian officials said the authorities have restored order in Brazil’s capital and government buildings.

“Democracies of the world must act fast to make clear there will be no support for right-wing insurrectionists storming the Brazilian Congress,” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said on Twitter. “These fascists modeling themselves after Trump’s Jan. 6 rioters must end up in the same place: prison.”

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), who served with Raskin on the select House committee investigating Jan. 6, added that what happens in the U.S. “has an impact around the world.”

“This is why sane American leadership is essential,” Kinzinger added. “Truth matters, lies destroy.”

— Updated at 8:14 a.m.