On Sunday, the White House joined France, Spain and Portugal in expressing support for Brazilian President Lula da Silva amid an ongoing riot at the capitol in Brasilia. Hundreds of supporters of Brazil’s right-wing former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed the country’s Congress, Supreme Court and Planalto Presidential Palace on Sunday to protest the election of Lula and calling for a military intervention to overthrow him, earning the rebuke from world nations. White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement on Twitter: “The United States condemns any effort to undermine democracy in Brazil. President Biden is following the situation closely and our support for Brazil’s democratic institutions is unwavering. Brazil’s democracy will not be shaken by violence.”
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the president of Portugal, spoke by telephone with Lula after the riot broke out. A readout provided by the Portuguese government said: “The President of the Republic considers that these acts, in addition to being unconstitutional and illegal, are inadmissible and intolerable in a democracy, reinforcing Portugal’s support and total solidarity with the legitimately elected power in Brazil.”
Pedro Sánchez, the prime minister of Spain, tweeted a message of support to Lula and said Spain “strongly condemns the assault on the Brazilian Congress … We support the democratic government elected at the polls. We condemn the actions of groups that oppose legitimate results.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement that the “will of the Brazilian people and the democratic institutions must be respected” and added that Lula “can count on the unwavering support of France.”
Editorial credit: casa.da.photo / Shutterstock.com