GEORGETOWN (CMC):
The 15-member CARICOM grouping has “strongly” condemned “the violent invasion of government buildings that occurred in Brasilia on Sunday as it reaffirmed its commitment to the rule of law”.
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has vowed to punish supporters of the country’s ex-leader, Jair Bolsonaro, after they stormed Congress, the Supreme Court and surrounded the presidential palace on Sunday.
Da Silva said there was “no precedent in the history of our country” for the scenes in Brasilia and called the violence the “acts of vandals and fascists”.
Police regained control of the buildings in the capital, Brasilia, on Sunday evening after hours of clashes. Police said that 300 people have been arrested.
The city’s governor, Ibaneis Rocha, has been removed from his post for 90 days by the Supreme Court.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes accused him of failing to prevent the riot and of being “painfully silent” in the face of the attack. Rocha has apologised for Sunday’s events.
In a statement late Sunday, CARICOM described those who invaded the buildings as “a misguided mob refusing to accept the results of free and fair democratic elections”.
“Those involved should be held to account. We welcome the quick restoration of order. CARICOM reaffirms its unwavering commitment to democracy and the rule of law,” the regional integration grouping said in its brief statement.
Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne, who is facing a general election on January 18, also condemned the invasion, saying, “Mr Bolsonaro lost the presidential election, found to be free and fair by observers from international organisations, including the Organization of American States (OAS), and the will of the electorate must be fully respected.
“These attacks on institutions of government by groups seeking to overturn the results, are assaults on democracy, which will not be tolerated by the governments and peoples of the hemisphere.
“The government of Antigua and Barbuda stands in support of democratically elected President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his government, and we will make this position clear at the OAS and at the United Nations in the coming days,” Browne added.