Latin American countries condemn Congress raid in Brazil

By Sinan Dogan

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - Several Latin American countries on Sunday condemned a raid of Brazil's top government buildings by hundreds of supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro, resulting in the arrest of at least 300 people.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro urged the Organization of American States (OAS) to call an emergency meeting and described the raid as a "coup."

"All my solidarity to @LulaOficial (President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva) and to the people of Brazil. Fascism decides to stage a coup ... It is an urgent time for the OAS meeting if it wants to continue to live as an institution and apply the democratic charter," Pedro added.

Chilean President Gabriel Bori also condemned the raid on Sunday by Bolsonaro supporters. "The Brazilian government has our full support in the face of this cowardly and vile attack on democracy," Bori said.

Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez also expressed support for his Brazilian counterpart.

"I want to express my rejection of what is happening in Brasilia. My unconditional support and that of the Argentine people to @LulaOficial in the face of this coup attempt that you are facing," Fernandez said.

"Democracy is the only political system that guarantees freedoms and obliges us to respect the popular verdict," he added.

For his part, Argentine Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero also raised his voice "in defense of Brazilian democracy" on Twitter and expressed solidarity with Lula.

Panama's President Laurentino Cortizo also condemned "the assaults on the democratic institutionality of Brazil."

"We unconditionally support the legitimate government of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva," he added.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro denounced the attack on Brazilian government buildings.

"We categorically reject the violence generated by Bolsonaro's neo-fascist groups that have assaulted Brazil's democratic institutions," Maduro said on Twitter, sharing photos from the incident.

"Our support for @LulaOficial and the Brazilian people who will surely mobilize in defense of Peace and their president," he added.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador also spoke out against the events on Twitter, saying the "reprehensible and undemocratic coup attempt by the conservatives in Brazil" was encouraged "by the oligarchic power leadership, their spokespersons and fanatics."

"Lula is not alone, he has the support of the progressive forces of his country, Mexico, the American continent and the world," he added.

Peru's President Dina Boluarte also rejected the "use of violence and the attempted assault on Congress and the presidency in Brazil."

Boluarte expressed her solidarity with Lula and Brazil amid "this intolerant onslaught by those who seek to impose their political vision, without respecting the law and democratic institutions."

On Sunday, Bolsonaro supporters managed to invade and ransack three branches of the government in the capital Brasilia -- the Planalto Palace, or President's office, Congress and the Supreme Federal Court -- until they were eventually contained by security forces.

Earlier on Monday, Brazilian police said that at least 300 supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro were arrested.

Bolsonaro left the country two days prior to Lula's Jan. 1 inauguration for a third term as president and is currently residing in Orlando, Florida in the US.

Bolsonaro meanwhile insisted in a tweet that "peaceful demonstrations, in the form of the law, are part of democracy. However, depredations and invasions of public buildings as occurred today, as well as those practiced by the left in 2013 and 2017," are not within the rules.

After Lula's election victory last October, Bolsonaro supporters demonstrated, many blocking highways across the country and pushing for the military to intervene against the leftist leader.