When history repeats itself, and not in a good way. Political insurrection 2.0 causes extensive damage to Brazil's cultural and political patrimony.

While most in the world can remember the fracturing of politics in the United States on January 6, 2021 following the defeat of then-U.S. President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, this week made way for a grim copycat incident, equally violent in nature in the Capital of Brazil this week. 

During the more than three hour long incident on Sunday, supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, protesting the October 30, 2022 runoff vote for the 2022 Brazilian general election which replaced the former president with Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, swarmed over the Praça dos Três Poderes (Square of the Three Powers).  Protesters then invaded and damaged the Palácio do Planalto (Presidential Palace), which is the seat of government, where the President of the Republic meets with advisors and visitors.  

The riots quickly spread to the seat of the Supremo Tribunal Federal, Brazil's Supreme Court and the highest authority of the judicial power as well as to the buildings of the Congresso Nacional do Brasil, Brazil's Congress which houses the legislative body of Brazil's federal government.  There some protesters attempted to set the carpet on fire, which flooded rooms in the building when the fire suppression systems activated.  

Protesters swarming the Congresso Nacional do Brasil

Video provided by Twitter account @ALendaDePassos documents extensive damages to the Great Hall of the Superior Federal Court (STF). A largely ceremonial room, it was decorated with furniture from the 19th century, and housed works of art over 100 years old, as well as gifts given to the Brazilian Government by more than 20 countries. 

In another area, Paulo Pimenta, chief minister of the Social Communication Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic, walked reporters through the destruction caused by the insurrection to his office where videos recorded vandalism to the tables, chairs, documents, printers, computers, televisions and artwork.  Later, on his Twitter account Pimenta called the invasion a coup, and urged Brazilians to unite against domestic terrorism. 

As depicted in the photo below, the Sala de Armas do GSI at the Palácio do Planalto was also ransacked, with protesters even attempting to burn chairs in the outer control room.  In a second video released by Pimenta he shows empty weapon boxes which which could point to theft of arms the GSI's usually uses to maintain building security. 

More images of damages have been uploaded to Brazilian news site Globo.

The total historic assets damaged in Sunday's riot are yet to be documented and ARCA will update this blog post as further details emerge.