Lula meets with military commanders after riots

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Friday met with the commanders of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as Defense Minister José Múcio. The meeting comes amid tension about the military’s involvement in the January 8 riots, and Lula’s comments that he is suspicious of the Armed Forces.

One would have expected Lula to be more direct in demanding loyalty from the military and reiterate that he will not tolerate any more insubordination. On January 8, the Armed Forces bore some of the blame for allowing rioters to storm and vandalize the seats of the Brazilian government.

Instead, the meeting focused on presenting proposals for investment in areas of science and technology to the forces’ commanders as an attempt toward rapprochement. The government is set to announce new investments in the area.

Speaking to journalists, Defense Minister Múcio said that the storming of the three seats of government in Brasília was not addressed at the meeting and that the judiciary will deal with the case. According to him, the government is waiting for “evidence” before taking action.

The minister also stated that any military personnel involved in anti-democratic acts will be punished “individually, as a citizen”. He believes that the forces had no direct link to the attack.

Lula and Mr. Múcio are trying to avoid further direct conflict and hope to pacify the relationship through dialogue, something that is not very frequent among the military.

On the day of the attacks, Lula avoided calling in the Armed Forces to control large-scale disturbances for fear that they would join the turmoil and carry out a coup d’état.

Folha de S.Paulo showed this Friday that 8,000 active-duty soldiers attended a protest camp in front of the Army barracks in Brasília, and were members of putschist WhatsApp and Telegram groups. 

The camp sheltered Bolsonarists involved in at least three violent episodes: an attempted invasion in the Federal Police building and the torching of buses in Brasília on December 12, the day of Lula’s certification; the attempted bomb attack at Brasília airport on December 24, and the invasion of public buildings on January 8. 

Since taking office, Lula has dismissed dozens of soldiers who held positions considered sensitive, such as the office in charge of his personal security.

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