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Crowds in Sao Paulo, the country’s largest city, chanted that Bolsonaro should be imprisoned
Tens of thousands of people held pro-democracy rallies in Brazil, in angry reaction to the storming of parliament by supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro.
The demonstrators called for the perpetrators to be punished and for Bolsonaro to be imprisoned.
The new president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, vowed to eliminate any attempt to overthrow his government.
These statements came after a meeting with officials at the presidential palace, a day after government headquarters were stormed in the capital, Brasilia.
Lula stressed that his administration’s reform agenda would not be derailed, again criticizing the police for their slow intervention.
The developments came a week after Lula da Silva was sworn in in the aftermath of elections in October that left Brazil divided.
About 1,500 people were detained in connection with Sunday’s riots in the capital, Brasilia.
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Crowds in Sao Paulo, the country’s largest city, chanted that Bolsonaro should be imprisoned
Bolsonaro is in hospital
Meanwhile, on Monday, Bolsonaro was taken to a Florida hospital after complaining of stomach pain, according to his wife.
Michelle Bolsonaro said he was admitted to a Florida hospital with abdominal pain.
The former president was stabbed in 2018 and has been suffering from occasional abdominal pain since then.
Bolsonaro’s wife confirmed on Instagram on Monday that he was being observed for abdominal pain.
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Bolsonaro during a speech to Brazilian expatriates in Florida in June 2022
Reuters news agency quoted a source close to the family as saying that Bolsonaro’s condition was “no cause for concern”.
Bolsonaro was taken to a hospital near Orlando on Monday, according to reports.
Bolsonaro left Brazil for the United States about 10 days ago. He refused to participate in the ceremony of handing over power to new President Lula da Silva last week.
Visa questions
US President Joe Biden is facing pressure from members of his party to get Bolsonaro out of the country.
Democratic Representative Joaquin Castro told CNN, “Bolsonaro should not be in Florida. The United States should not be a refuge for this tyrant who inspired domestic terrorism in Brazil. He should be brought back to Brazil.”
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, another Democrat in Congress, called on Twitter for the United States to “stop granting asylum to Bolsonaro in Florida.”
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Monday that the United States had not received “any formal request” from the Brazilian government regarding Bolsonaro’s visa.
Bolsonaro was attacked during a campaign rally in the state of Minas Gerais in September 2018. He won the election later that year.
In October, he narrowly lost the election to Lula da Silva.