Brasilia - The governor of Brasilia was removed from office late on Sunday by Brazil's Supreme Court late for 90 days. Security forces also detained 1,200 people after supporters of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro stormed government buildings in Brasília
The removal of the governor came amidst flaws in security in the capital, after thousands of backers of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro ransacked government buildings.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes also ordered social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and TikTok to block coup-mongering propaganda.
Brazilian authorities began investigating the worst attack on the country's institutions since democracy was restored four decades ago, with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva vowing to bring those responsible for the riot to justice.
Tens of thousands of anti-democratic demonstrators on Sunday invaded the Supreme Court, Congress and the presidential palace and smashed windows, overturned furniture, destroyed art works and stole the country's original 1988 Constitution. Guns were also seized from a presidential security office.
On Sunday, Jair Bolsonaro's far-right supporters broke into and vandalized Brazil's Congress, presidential mansion, and Supreme Court in a chilling resemblance to the Trump supporters' 2017 invasion of the U.S. Capitol.
The invaders left a trail of devastation, throwing furniture through the presidential palace's broken windows, flooding portions of Congress with sprinklers, and pillaging the Supreme Court's ceremonial rooms.
The sight of thousands of yellow-and-green-clad protesters running riot in the capital capped months of tension following the Oct. 30 presidential vote.
The protest, which lasted just over three hours, highlighted the extreme polarization that still characterizes the nation days after the election of Bolsonaro's opponent, the leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, to the presidency.
Security forces in the capital Brasilia were overwhelmed by rioters who had been planning on social media for days to gather for demonstrations. Lula announced a federal security intervention in Brasilia lasting until Jan. 31 after capital security forces were initially overwhelmed by protesters.
Bolsonaro, an acolyte of Trump's who has yet to concede defeat, peddled the false claim that Brazil's electronic voting system was prone to fraud, spawning a violent movement of election deniers."This genocidist ... is encouraging this via social media from Miami," Lula said, referring to Bolsonaro, who flew to Florida 48 hours before the end of his term and was absent from Lula's inauguration.
The former president, who has rarely spoken in public since losing the election, also said peaceful demonstrations are part of democracy but invading and damaging public buildings "crosses the line."
The violence in Brasilia could amplify the legal risks Bolsonaro faces. Prominent Democratic lawmakers said the United States could no longer grant Bolsonaro "refuge" in the country. By 6:30 p.m. local time (2130 GMT) security forces had managed to retake the capital`s most iconic three buildings. Brasilia Governor Ibaneis Rocha, a longtime Bolsonaro ally facing tough questions after Sunday's security lapses, said on Twitter more than 400 people had been arrested and authorities were working to identify more.
Images from social media show masked men smashing windows and smashing security cameras. Both houses of Congress have denounced the attacks and moved up plans to return to the capital. The governor of the city has fired his top security official, Anderson Torres, who was previously a justice minister under President Dilma Rousseff.
Torres claimed on the UOL website that he had not met Bolsonaro because he was on vacation in the United States with his family. He was in Orlando, where Bolsonaro is currently staying, according to UOL.
With reports of an impending altercation in Brasilia, Justice Minister Flávio Dino approved the National Public Security Force's deployment on Saturday. "This absurd attempt to impose the will by force will not prevail," he wrote on Twitter on Sunday.
In an unsuccessful attempt to stop congressional certification of Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election, Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in Washington in 2021, attacked police, tore down barriers, and stormed the police station.
Trump, who has announced a third bid for the presidency, in 2024, had pressured his vice president, Mike Pence, not to certify the vote, and he continues to claim falsely that the 2020 election was stolen from him through widespread fraud.
"Bolsonaro should not be in Florida," Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro said on CNN. "The United States should not be a refuge for this authoritarian who has inspired domestic terrorism in Brazil. He should be sent back to Brazil."
Bolsonaro faces legal risks from several investigations before the Supreme Court in Brazil and his future in the United States, where he traveled on a visa issued only to sitting presidents, is in question.
-AP