Post-riot arrests in Brasília in the thousands already

Closing the door after the horse has bolted: Police used tear gas on rioters. Photo: Marcelo Camargo/ABr

The Brazilian Federal Police have detained at least 1,200 people camped outside of the Army headquarters in Brasília. Law enforcement are using at least 40 buses to transport them to the Federal Police headquarters.

The operation follows a Supreme Court order to immediately dismantle putschist campsites which have appeared since the October 30 runoff election — in which far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro lost to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva by a narrow margin. Lula took office as the new head of state on January 1, 2023.

In the decision, the Supreme Court also ordered the arrest in flagrante delicto of all participants in Sunday’s unrest for committing various crimes such as terrorism, criminal association, inciting a coup, and promoting the violent abolition of the rule of law.

Still, the initial idea was to pressure Bolsonaro supporters into leaving the campsite peacefully, only detaining those who resisted the camp’s dismantling.

Gathering thousands of people, some of these campsites — such as the one in Brasília — have resembled small towns, with trade of food and drink, medical care, and other small services offered. After Lula’s inauguration, the campsite in the capital was briefly dismantled before returning to full strength this weekend, as far-right radicals congregated there before storming the Congress and Supreme Court buildings, as well as the presidential palace.

After the riots, they returned to the campsite to seek refuge. The police tried to raid the gathering but were stopped by the Army police force, which used armored vehicles to dissuade law enforcement from reaching the site — as many of those at the campsite are related to military officers.

President Lula meets with Defense Minister José Múcio Monteiro and the Armed Forces commanders this morning.

On Sunday, the president placed the security apparatus of Brasília under federal intervention.

Allies of the administration accused local officials of intentionally under-preparing for the scheduled pro-Bolsonaro demonstration, which allowed the event to evolve into a full-scale riot. The Solicitor General’s Office requested the arrest of Anderson Torres, the capital’s former top security officer. Mr. Torres was fired by Governor Ibaneis Rocha, who was himself suspended from office for 90 days by a Supreme Court order.