Over 1,200 supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro have been arrested in the aftermath of Sunday’s storming of Congress as police and military forces begin to clear a large pro-Bolsonaro camp outside the capital’s military barracks.
Police regained control of all government buildings on Sunday after a pro-Bolsonaro mob stormed the National Congress, presidential palace, and other government buildings. Arrests have continued in the day after, culminating in police and the military beginning to clear out a massive camp that pro-Bolsonaro protesters set up outside military barracks in the capital. Arrests in the camp made up a large portion of the 1,200 total.
Minister Alexandre Moraes of the Federal Supreme Court gave law enforcement a 24-hour deadline to clear the entire camp, according to the outlet Folha de S. Paulo.
PRO-BOLSONARO PROTESTERS STORM BRAZILIAN CONGRESS AND PRESIDENTIAL PALACE
Video on Brazilian TV showed buses transporting demonstrators in the camps to local police stations.
Brazilian TV showing protestors being bussed out of the Brasilia camp en masse – 1,200 taken to the police station according to @GloboNews pic.twitter.com/YRsEOczVdn
— Katy Watson (@katywatson) January 9, 2023
The military and police have surrounded the sprawling camp, which authorities have blamed for starting Sunday’s riot. It’s unknown how many of the camp’s residents authorities intend to arrest, but Justice Minister Flavio Dino said on Monday that police will arrest anyone who “participated in or financed serious crimes this Sunday,” the Independent reported.
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The Brasilia camp had grown since October, housing thousands of demonstrators, many of whom gave daily speeches calling for a military coup. The encampment features showers, a laundry service, cellphone-charging stations, a hospital, and 28 food stalls. One resident told the New York Times that he intended to stay put until the military deposed President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, even if he had to stay for the rest of his life.
