Discerning the inspiration for a moment of infamy can be ridiculously simple. The audacious attack by supporters of Brazil’s far-right ex-President Jair Bolsonaro on government buildings in the capital looked every bit as chaotic and destructive as the infamous Jan. 6, 2021, onslaught on the U.S. Capitol. The toxic mix of pent-up anger and ugly violence was eerily similar.
In the case of Brasilia, rioters laid siege to not just Brazil’s Congress but also its presidential offices and Supreme Court. Bolsonaro loyalists filmed themselves as they clubbed police officers, smashed plate glass windows and rifled through government desks. In Brazil’s Congress, rioters giddily savored taking over the legislature’s upper chamber, an image wholly reminiscent of Donald Trump’s backers whooping it up in the Senate chamber.
Coincidence? That’s doubtful. Trump honed the template for fabricating claims of election fraud and goading hordes of supporters to turn those claims into justification for mayhem. The inevitable conclusion for Bolsonaro loyalists: If it can happen in Washington, why not Brasilia?
