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Elon Musk asks Brazilians to 'resolve matters peacefully': Here's what happening in Brazil

 


Elon Musk wrote, 'I hope the people of Brazil are able to resolve matters peacefully.'

Elon Musk hopes that the people of Brazil are able to resolve matters peacefully. If you're wondering what he's talking about, read on.

I hope the people of Brazil are able to resolve matters peacefully

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 8, 2023

On January 8, thousands of supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro attacked Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court, in what President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called a "fascist" attack. Brazilian security forces responded by launching a massive operation.

Security forces finally managed to recapture the Congress building in the evening after hours of complete chaos in Brasilia's powerhouse, which commemorated the January 6, 2021 invasion of the US Capitol building by supporters of then-President Donald Trump. Used to give, which is about to happen. Bolsonaro's friend.

The attack on the National Congress and other public buildings in #Brazil by supporters of former President Bolsonaro mimics an attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters in 2021. Bolsonaro is a caricature of Trump and tries to stage a coup in Brazil similar to Trump in the US.

— Carlos Latuff (@LatuffCartoons) January 8, 2023

Horse-mounted riot police, water cannon, and tear gas bombs were used by security forces to fight helicopters, with a major effort to clear protesters from the Planalto presidential palace and Supreme Court still underway.

World leaders have unanimously condemned the attack. As condemnation poured in from around the world against the mobs that broke into government buildings in Brasilia on 8 January, US President Joe Biden called the attacks by Jair Bolsonaro's supporters "outrageous".

The presidents of Chile, Colombia and Venezuela condemned the mob's behaviour, while French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted his support for leftist Lula, elected a week ago as Brazil's new president. "The will of the Brazilian people and democratic institutions must be respected!" Macron posted on Twitter.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said, "This attack cannot leave us indifferent." Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said, "Lula is not alone, he is supported by the progressive forces of his country, Mexico, the United States and the world."

The Planalto Palace, considered an architectural jewel by the late Oscar Niemeyer and home to @LulaOfficial, is being destroyed by rabid Bolsonaro followers, jokingly known in Brazil as "Bolsominians".

— robert valencia (@rvalentwit) January 8, 2023

Meanwhile, Musk's tweet on Brazil drew some sharp reactions. One of the users replied with a link to a New York Post article that said the Twitter CEO became "directly involved" in Brazil's election and personally moderated tweets related to the event.

The election in Brazil, won by Lula against Bolsonaro by less than 2% points, was catastrophically affected by online misinformation distributed by allies of both candidates. Bolsonaro's supporters called Lula a Satanist, while Lula's supporters accused Bolsonaro of being a cannibal.

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