Bolsonaro supporters try to storm police HQ in ‘January 6-style’ rampage - The Guardian

Fanatical supporters of Brazil’s outgoing president, Jair Bolsonaro, person torched cars and buses and tried to tempest the national constabulary office successful the country’s superior successful what 1 commentator called a botched effort to spark a January 6-style turmoil.

The unit erupted connected Monday evening aft the leftwing person who defeated Bolsonaro successful October’s historical election – erstwhile president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva – had his triumph officially ratified by Brazil’s electoral court.

A constabulary serviceman fires a shotgun successful Brasília connected Monday arsenic supporters of Jair Bolsonaro protestation aft the ultimate tribunal ordered a impermanent apprehension warrant of indigenous person Jose Acacio Serere Xavante for alleged anti-democratic acts. Photograph: Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters

Several hours later, hardcore Bolsonaristas who privation the effect overturned rampaged done the bosom of Brasília, aft a subordinate of their extremist radical was arrested for allegedly trying to incite unit that would forestall Lula from being sworn successful connected 1 January.

Reuters said witnesses saw extremists, galore wearing the yellowish Brazil shirts that symbolise the president’s far-right movement, confronting information forces extracurricular a national constabulary headquarters. Police utilized stun grenades and teargas to disperse the crowd.

Footage posted connected societal media by bystanders and section journalists showed militant Bolsonaro supporters mounting occurrence to a bus.

“The centre of Brasília … looks similar a warfare zone,” tweeted Alan Rios, a newsman from the section quality website Metropoles, alongside images of the destruction. “Torched buses and cars, destroyed buildings and signposts, rubbish bins and state canisters littering the level aft being utilized arsenic weapons,” Rios wrote.

The governmental commentator Thomas Traumann tweeted his condemnation, saying: “Bolsonarismo has gone from being a fashionable far-right question to being a violent cell.”

“It’s an effort astatine [replicating] the Capitol,” Traumann added successful notation to the storming of the US legislature by hardcore Donald Trump supporters connected 6 January 2021. “It won’t enactment but it’s an attempt.”

The outbreak of violence, which had reportedly subsided by Tuesday morning, has sparked fears determination could beryllium further upheaval successful the lead-up to Lula’s inauguration. Hundreds of thousands of supporters are expected to be the event, astatine which immoderate of Brazil’s best-known artists volition perform, including Pabllo Vittar, Paulinho da Viola, Martinho da Vila and Maria Rita.

Bolsonaro supporters face subject constabulary successful Brasília connected Monday. Photograph: Evaristo Sa/AFP/Getty Images

The antheral Lula has named arsenic his aboriginal justness minister, Flávio Dino, tried to reassure Brazilians connected Monday night, telling reporters: “Are there, unfortunately, radical who privation anti-democratic and amerciable chaos? Yes determination are. But these radical did not prevail contiguous and they volition not prevail tomorrow.”