Brazil's Lula receives support of leaders from Russia, Germany & Turkey amid 'coup-riot'

On Monday, governments and leaders around the world reacted with shock and dismay to the storming of Brazil's Congress, Supreme Court, and presidential palace by thousands of supporters of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro. The rioters refuse to acknowledge Bolsonaro's defeat in recent elections, and he has not yet made a public statement explicitly conceding his loss.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry released a statement condemning the violence and expressing solidarity with Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and the Brazilian people. “It is important to respect the results of elections and the democratic processes that reflect the will of the people in the country," Turkey's MFA said in a statement, as per a report by CNN news. "We express our solidarity with the Government of President Lula da Silva and the Brazilian people in the face of these acts of violence," the statement added. 

The statement stressed the importance of respecting the results of elections and democratic processes that reflect the will of the people. U.S. President Joe Biden also took to Twitter to condemn the attack, stating that Brazil's democratic institutions have the full support of the U.S. and that the will of the Brazilian people must not be undermined. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador called the incident a "coup attempt by the Brazilian conservatives" that is "reprehensible and undemocratic". 

Germany criticises violent protests in Brazil

Apart from India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, French President Emmanuel Macron & German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also expressed their support for Lula and the Brazilian people. In a statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said it "firmly opposes the violent attack on the federal authority in Brazil" and supports the measures taken by the Brazilian government to calm the situation and restore order. Russia also condemned the actions of those behind the disorder in the strongest terms. "Naturally, we resolutely condemn the actions of the instigators of the riots and absolutely support Brazilian President Lula da Silva. We support his actions aimed at restoring law and order in the country," said Russia's Dmitry Peskov, as per a report from TASS. Pope Francis, the head of the Roman Catholic church also condemned the violent protests. "I am thinking of these last few hours in Brazil," he said.

The violence in Brasilia saw Bolsonaro supporters ransack the National Congress building and target the Supreme Court and the presidential palace. It took security forces several hours to regain control of the area. The European Commission and Council also released statements condemning the assault on democracy in Brazil and expressing support for Lula, who was democratically elected by millions of Brazilians through fair and free elections.