How the U.S. Capitol riot incites Brazil’s extremists

The world looked on in shock as armed rioters — incited by outgoing President Donald Trump — forced their way into the U.S. Capitol building on Wednesday, in an attempt to stop lawmakers from certifying the results of the November 3 presidential election. Leaders around the world expressed their concerns about what the insurrection could mean for democracies around the world.

Indeed, analysts would be best served looking to Brazil for answers, as extremist groups have quickly found inspiration in the chaos seen in Washington DC. These fringe groups have already planned similar protests against local legislative bodies for later this month.

And they have been incited by none other than President Jair Bolsonaro himself. 

As we explained in today’s Daily Briefing, the Brazilian leader set himself apart from international counterparts yesterday and chose to reiterate his support for Mr. Trump and revived unproven claims that Brazil’s electoral system is vulnerable to fraud. One day later, he went one better, threatening that if Brazil continues to use its current electronic voting system in 2022, the country “will have an even worse problem than the U.S.”

Multiple elected officials loyal to Mr. Bolsonaro used their social media channels to praise the invasion of the U.S. Capitol. “The demonstration is a display of insatisfaction of American citizens who were robbed of their right to choose. Losing a race is acceptable, but not to thieving scoundrels!” said Congressman...