The European Union condemns the attack in Brazil and calls Bolsonaro responsible

The European Union’s unreserved condemnation of the attack on democratic organizations in Brazil. All European institutions, as well as the majority of partners, condemned the attack on the Congress, the Supreme Court and the headquarters of the executive branch in this country. The EU’s top representative, Josep Borrell, also took direct aim at former president Jair Bolsonaro, urging him to tell his followers to “go home”.

“The European Union condemns in the strongest possible terms the undemocratic acts of violence that occurred on Sunday, January 8,” began the statement of the head of European diplomacy regarding the call for demonstrations by Bolsonaro’s followers to invade Congress and other institutions. for military intervention to end Lula da Silva’s presidency.

“Brazilian democracy will triumph over violence and extremism,” said the text published after 10pm, with the high representative reiterating the EU’s “full” support for Lula and Brazil’s democratic system. In addition, it indicated that “Brazilian political leaders and, in particular, former President Bolsonaro” should act “responsibly and call on their followers to go home”.

“The place to resolve political differences is in Brazil’s democratic institutions, not through violence in the streets,” the statement said. Lula won the elections on October 30. At his inauguration on January 1, Bolsonaro was absent, even though protocol dictates that an outgoing leader hand over the presidential vault to a new one.

Lula himself blamed his predecessor for the situation in a statement announcing the takeover of Brazil amid the attack. “They took advantage of the Sunday silence when we were still forming the government, which they did. Several speeches by the former president have encouraged this and it is his responsibility and that of his supporting parties,” he denounced before warning: “Those people we call fascists have invaded the National Congress, the Supreme Court and the Planalto Palace. All the people who did this will be found and punished.”

In addition to Borrell, high-ranking European officials also spoke, such as Council President Charles Michel or European Parliament President Roberta Mezzola, who posted a Twitter message in Brazilian language to defend that “democracy must always be respected”: “The European Parliament is the government of Lula da Silva and all legitimate and on the side of the democratically elected institution”.

Other allied nations also condemned the attack, including the United States, which suffered a similar attack just two years ago, coinciding with Joe Biden’s arrival in the White House after defeating Donald Trump. “The use of violence to attack democratic institutions is always unacceptable,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who expressed his solidarity with Lula in calling for “an immediate end to these actions.”

In Spain, Pedro Sánchez also responded in a message via Twitter, in which he expressed his support for the president and Brazil’s democratic institutions, in addition to making a “call for the return of democratic normality”. He did the same in a statement as president of the Socialist International, in which, in addition to endorsing Lula and the “democratic government elected at the polls,” he condemned “the actions of groups opposed to legitimate results.” .

The Spanish government, through a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressed its support for Lula, who was “democratically elected by the Brazilian people and declared by the competent electoral bodies to be the legitimate president of the country.” “We want to reject any initiative or attitude that calls into question the Brazilian democratic process by sectors that do not want to accept the results of the will of the Brazilian people,” said a note from the department headed by José. Manuel Albarez.