MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil: Bolsonaro downplays magnitude of Jan. 8 riots

The rioters were women with Bibles and men with flags, Bolsonaro argued

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro Wednesday downplayed the magnitude of the Jan. 8 events in Brasilia when some of his followers tried to seize the headquarters of all three branches of government and compared the situation with recent events in Russia.

“Now in Russia, there was an uprising of the Wagner Group. There were tens of thousands of armed men on both sides, with tanks in the streets. In Brazil, the attack was of young ladies with bibles under their arms and of young men with the flag on their backs,” the retired Army captain argued.

He also called it “absurd” for the court to include in the deliberations attacks on institutions, from which he repeatedly disassociated himself, together with criticism of the Brazilian electoral system and electronic ballot boxes.

Read also: Brazil: Bolsonaro 1-0 down at TSE trial

“I am going to continue my part. I will not despair,” Bolsonaro also said regarding the trial before the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) for “abuse of political power and misuse of the media” that might lead to his disenfranchisement for eight years.

The Jan. 8 riots resulted in damages to the Planalto Palace worth R$ 4.3 million (some US$ 886,214), the Congressional Mixed Parliamentary Inquiry Commission (CPMI) investigating the events reported Wednesday.

According to Folha de S. Paulo, the greatest damage is to works of art. In all, 24 pieces were damaged, according to the General Coordination of Patrimonial Management of the Presidency.

Some of the works of art have not had their values measured, such as the 17th Century French clock, which appeared to be vandalized in a video that circulated at the time.

The recovery of the items broken by the rioters is also raised in the report. About R$ 300,000 (US$ 61,828.89) was needed to recover items such as computers, chairs, and telephones, among others. The items that were stolen from the headquarters of the Executive totaled R$ 142,000 (US$ 29,265.67).

The survey addresses only the damages in the Planalto Palace. It is estimated that, with the damages in the headquarters of the other two branches of government, losses will reach R$ 20 million (US$ 4,121,926).