Brazil Congress riots: Supreme Court sacks Brasilia Governor, 400 arrested; 10 points

Brazil just witnessed an unprecedented assault on its democratic setup since 1985. About four thousand supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who lost power in the recent election held in October, stormed the country's Supreme Court, Congress (National Assembly), and the Presidential Palace. Bolsonaro, who lost the recent presidential election narrowly, has not accepted the results and his supporters believe that he lost due to technical faults in voting machines. Bolsonaro had even filed a petition in the court saying he lost due to faulty voting machines but his plea was rejected by the court.

Brazil Congress attack: All you need to know  

- On Saturday and Sunday, about 4,000 Bolsonaro supporters arrived in buses and join others camped outside army barracks, BBC reported. The protesters, accompanied by police, started their march along the main avenue towards the Congress. As they reached the destination, some broke through barriers and stormed Congress while others invaded Presidential Palace and Supreme Court. 

- The protesters damaged artwork and furniture in Presidential Palace and smashed the glass front of the Supreme Court building and vandalised the chamber. 

- The Supreme Court has ordered the immediate removal of Brasília’s Governor Ibaneis Rocha for 90 days. Ordering the removal, the judge said the attacks could only have happened with the acquiescence, or even direct involvement, of public security and intelligence authorities. 

-  Rocha has apologised to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and said what happened in the city was not acceptable. "I want to apologise to President Lula da Silva for what happened today in our city...What happened in our city was simply unacceptable," he said in a video released earlier in the day. 

-  After the riots, Brazil's President Lula da Silva vowed to punish supporters of Bolsonaro. He said there was no precedent in the history of Brazil for the scenes in Brasilia. He called the violence the "acts of vandals and fascists".

- So far, at least 400 people have been arrested for the unprecedented unrest in Brasilia, CNN reported citing Brazilian authorities.

-  Bolsonaro's supporters who had camped out in Brasilia have started to leave the area. They were seen packing their tents and heading for buses parked outside the Military Headquarters in the city, CNN reported. 

- Bolsonaro in a series of tweets condemned the riots in Brasilia. He said peaceful demonstrations, in the form of the law, are part of democracy. "However, depredations and invasions of public buildings as occurred today, as well as those practiced by the left in 2013 and 2017, escape the rule," he said. 

- Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a tweet, said he was deeply concerned about the news of rioting and vandalism against the state institutions in Brasilia. He said democratic traditions must be respected by everyone. "We extend our full support to the Brazilian authorities," he said. 

- US President Joe Biden called it an 'assault on democracy and on the peaceful transfer of power' in Brazil. He said Brazil’s democratic institutions have America's full support and the will of the Brazilian people must not be undermined. "I look forward to continuing to work with @LulaOficial," he said. 

- Russia also condemned the riots in Brazil, after supporters of Bolsonaro. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow fully supports President Lula in his actions aimed at restoring order in the country and the rule of law. Peskov said Russian President Putin recently congratulated his Brazilian counterpart, and Moscow continues to appreciate the efforts of da Silva to develop bilateral relations.