On January 8, thousands of supporters of far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro invaded and ransacked the main government buildings in Brazil’s capital of Brasilia. Like their Trumpist January 6 counterparts, they falsely claimed that last October’s presidential elections, won by Workers Party candidate Luis Ignacio da Silva (Lula), were stolen from Bolsonaro.

To date, more than 1,000 protesters have been arrested and the country’s Supreme Court has removed the commander of the federal district police on evidence of collaboration with the rioters.

Meanwhile, Bolsonaro himself is receiving treatment for a gastrointestinal ailment in a Florida hospital. Bolsonaro traveled to Florida in the days before Lula’s inauguration, therefore taking advantage of his role as then-head of state to gain automatic entry into the U.S. Anderson Torres, Bolsonaro’s minister of justice implicated in the coup plot, is also “on vacation” in the U.S. Brazilian authorities have called for the U.S. to extradite him.

We reprint two statements on the right-wing offensive from key actors in the Brazilian left: one, from the left online journal Esquerda Online, and another from the radical labor federation Conlutas. Both appeared in Spanish on Correspondencia de Prensa. The ISP translated them to English.

In the face of the coup invasion: defend democracy and prison for Bolsonaro and all coup plotters!

Esquerda Online, editorial, January 9, 2023

In a planned action, Bolsonaristas invaded and plundered the National Congress, the STF (Supreme Federal Court) and the Planalto Palace [the presidential office building] on January 8. The serious coup attempt, using terrorist methods, is the direct responsibility of Jair Bolsonaro.

This violent act would not have happened without the complicity of the police and the Federal District (DF) government. Those responsible for the fascist coup, starting with Bolsonaro, must be arrested immediately. All participants, financiers and mentors of [the] action must be identified and rigorously punished.

Faced with the criminal omission of the [DF] government of Ibaneis Rocha, the federal intervention in the security sector of the DF decreed by Lula is absolutely correct. But this measure is not enough to ensure the security of Brasilia and of the President of the Republic. Governor Ibaneis must be removed from office while his responsibility for what happened is being addressed. The AGU (Attorney General’s Office of the Republic) has rightly requested the imprisonment of Anderson Torres, former Minister of Justice of Bolsonaro and, until today, Secretary of Security of the Federal District.

The invasion of the headquarters of the three branches of the Republic by fascists represents a direct threat to democracy and the Brazilian people. It is important to emphasize that Bolsonarismo will not be satisfied with the invasion in Brasilia. If they are not harshly repressed and contained, they will advance in a coup offensive.

All the institutions of the Republic and all the political forces that declare themselves committed to democracy have the duty to respond swiftly and firmly to the serious threat of a coup d’état. The Lula government, the main target of the fascist action, must lead a decisive national political response in defense of democracy.

But it is necessary to go beyond institutional actions. It is imperative that the social movements, the left parties, the unions and the Afro-Brazilian, feminist, LGBT, indigenous and student movements call, in a unified way, for a national protest in the streets of the whole country in defense of democracy and for the imprisonment of the coup perpetrators. It is through popular struggle that we will defeat fascism!

No freedom to the enemies of freedom!

Immediate imprisonment of the terrorists, starting with Bolsonaro!

Mobilization in the streets against the coup and fascism!

Mobilize the workers to confront the coup plotters of the ultra-right wing

Everyone into the streets on Monday (January 9) throughout the country.

We repudiate the connivance of the Federal District government and the police forces with the coup.

Conlutas, January 9, 2023

On January 8, in Brasilia, thousands of ultra-right activists, financed and organized by businessmen and Bolsonarist politicians, promoted coup and terrorist actions, culminating with the invasion and ransacking of the National Congress, the STF (Supreme Federal Court) and the Planalto Palace [the presidential office building]. All this with the connivance of the police forces of the Federal District (DF), until then led by Anderson Torres, former Secretary of Public Security of the Federal District and former Minister of Justice of Bolsonaro. And, what’s more, with a flagrant demobilization of the police forces of the Union.

The riot on January 8 is part of the process of mobilization of the ultra-right that continues since Bolsonaro’s electoral defeat, which already led even to the blocking more than a thousand roads last year, in an attempted terrorist act at the DF airport, etc. This same sector also announced its intention to invade Petrobras fuel distributors and fuel refineries in the coming days.

The ultra-right is intensifying its coup plans, mainly because the connivance of the army, the police forces of the states and of the Union have encouraged this minority sector of the country to continue to carry out a military coup.

These facts show that the working class should not trust that the institutions of the Brazilian political regime will be steadfast in the struggle against the coup plotters of the ultra-right. We should not even trust that these institutions will see through the arrest, punishment and expropriation of all the coup plotters who finance, organize and participate in these acts. That’s because there are many people within these institutions who play an active role in supporting them.

Mobilize the workers to defeat the ultra-right.

Faced with this scenario, the trade union and popular movement, the parties of the left, the trade union centers (i.e., federations) and the working class as a whole must provide a categorical response to these plots, taking to the streets. It is necessary to immediately call for demonstrations throughout the country to repudiate the actions of the ultra-right. No truce with the coup plotters.

Only the mobilized working class can guarantee the definitive defeat of the ultra-right, imposing jail and punishment on all the coup plotters. The path of conciliation and negotiation with the ultra-right is a big mistake. It only helps this sector to continue to remain active, feeding the coup-supporting assaults of the most radical Bolsonaristas.

Furthermore, the trade union and popular movement of the country must carry forward initiatives to organize the self-defense of the working class to confront the ultra-right militias and their fascist methods.

– Arrest Anderson Torres, the commanders of the DF police forces and all the public agents who collaborated directly and indirectly in the coup actions of January 8;

– Arrest, punish and expropriate of all the organizers, supporters and financiers of the coup plots of the ultra-right, starting with Bolsonaro and his family.

– No truce with the coup plotters, immediately call for demonstrations, protest meeting and working-class action against the ultra-right and the coup movement;

– Organize workers self-defense;

– In defense of democratic freedoms, dictatorship never again.