Lula vows to punish Bolsonaro supporters who stormed congress | First Thing
President tours scene of riot and orders federal government to take control of policing in Brasília. Plus, the treasure hunt for £15m Nazi hoard
Good morning.
The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has toured the wreckage of his presidential palace after an extraordinary day of political violence in the capital, Brasília, during which thousands of far-right extremists ran riot through the country’s democratic institutions in a failed attempt to overthrow his week-old government.
How did Bolsonaro respond to the attack? “Peaceful demonstrations, within the law, form part of democracy,” he tweeted. “However, depredations and invasions of public buildings like those that happened today, as well as those practiced by the left in 2013 and 2017, are exceptions to the rule.”
Where is he now? The former president flew out of Brazil on the eve of Lula’s inauguration and is currently in Florida. Some senior US lawmakers are calling for the far-right figure to be extradited from the US.
What did Biden say when he met with members of border control and volunteers? The meetings took place with no press present aside from those watching at a distance. Biden answered a brief shouted question by promising more help for the border situation. “They need a lot of resources. We’re going to get it for them,” he said.
