January 8th Coup Attempt In Brazil

What do observed similarities to January 6th mean? 

February 1, 2023

By Alexander Donlon, ‘22 International Affairs, Madison Center Democracy Fellow;  Kara Dillard, Interim Associate Director, Madison Center for Civic Engagement 

On January 8th, 2023, the South American nation of Brazil experienced an attempted coup which shockingly bore more similarities to the January 6th, 2021 attempted insurrection in the United States than to other South American coup attempts throughout history. The event, which resulted in more than 1,000 arrests related to the riot itself and 39 arrests connected to its planning saw the Brazilian Three Powers Plaza, the place of Brazilian democracy, stormed with violent use of force to protest the official vote that would certify election results. [1] The election, which was legally won by President-Elect Luiz Inácio Lula de Silva with 50.8% of the Brazilian vote, saw the end of former president Jair Bolsonaro’s time in office. [2] While information surrounding the attempted coup is still being gathered, one thing remains abundantly clear, Brazil’s riots bear significant resemblance to the United States’ January 6th. 

On January 6, 2021, during a joint session of congress aimed at certifying the U.S. presidential election results, supporters of then-President Donald J. Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol to stop the certification from happening. Evidence shows that President Trump communicated to his supporters that the election results had been fraudulent and that his place had been stolen, creating mass discord. [3]

https://www.cfr.org/article/images-show-extent-brazils-capitol-riots.

While Bolsonaro has not yet explicitly communicated the same, he traveled to Florida just before the inauguration of President Lula, in part due to health concerns, [4] but also to bypass having to pass along the presidential sash. [5] Bolsonaro also did not formally concede the election. Many election experts and scholars are arguing that Bolsonaro seemingly utilized similar strategies and tactics from the January 6th event. In Brazil’s online forums, dissent and potential for an event like this to happen were becoming increasingly obvious. Online forums in both events served as a staging ground for radical dissent to cultivate and for ultimate action plans to emerge. 

However, some point out critical differences between Brazil and the U.S. that are worth noting. The coup attempt was not nearly as organized as the U.S. event, and when the protests occurred in Brasilia, Bolsonaro had already left Brazil. Brazilian protesters seem to also lack the same targeted goal – overturning an election. Instead, the Brasilia riot looks more like an expression of outrage about the outcome of an election than a targeted attempt at overturning or blocking democratic processes.  [6]

Brazil has experienced coups before, including most significantly in 1964 when Brazil’s presidency was sacked by the Brazilian Armed Forces, setting in place a 21-year-long military dictatorship. However, in the past, it has taken military strength as well as authoritarian leadership to initiate. This time, the coup was completely driven by popular delusion and seems to have been motivated by the recent example of January 6th. 

Overall, it is clear the effect that the January 6th incident has had on Brazil; however, it is not yet clear the effect that it has on the rest of the world. Political misinformation may have a catalyzing effect on the incitement of undemocratic political rebellion, with one analyst commenting, “Bolsonaro’s supporters showed that antidemocratic revolutions can be contagious too.” [7] While there are differences between the two events, continued undermining of democratic election processes across the globe is a troubling trend. 

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On February 2nd, the Madison Center’s Democracy Fellows held the first “Dukes Discourse” informal talk on election denialism and Brazil’s January 6th event.

When asked “are we exporters of insurrection?”  students responded:

• Accountability for Jan 6th was slow to come – which may encourage others to assume they can attack democracy without consequence.
• Social media is a real threat to democracy.
• Safeguard election administration without sacrificing democracy/election accessibility
• We should be shining examples of democracy in action
• Idea wise? Maybe.
• Individuals, right or wrong, make their own choices and have agency. The U.S. is not the singular cause.
• Election denialism is a plague. It destroys the integrity of government.
• I think the U.S. has a role in promoting global democracy and was some contribution to Brazil’s coup.
• Democracy dies in darkness.
• They both resemble acts of terrorism.
• Stupidity
• Events that U.S. public officials condemn foreign governments for can’t happen here.

Citations

1.  “Brazil Charges 39 with Staging Coup after Storming of Government Buildings.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, January 17, 2023. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/17/brazil-coup-bolsonaro-supporters-charged-attack-capital.
2. Al Jazeera. “Lula Defeats Far-Right Bolsonaro to Win Brazil Presidency Again.” Elections News | Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera, October 31, 2022. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/10/30/brazil-election-lula-da-silva-narrowly-defeats-jair-bolsonaro. 
3. Picheta, Rob. “The Violent Attack on Brazil’s Government Was Months in the Making. Here’s What You Need to Know.” CNN. Cable News Network, January 9, 2023. https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/09/americas/brazil-congress-attack-explained-intl/index.html.
4. Dejardans, Lisa. “Key takeaways from the Jan. 6th committee report summary.” PBS Newshour. Dec. 19, 2022. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/the-key-findings-and-criminal-referrals-from-the-jan-6-committee-report-summary.
5.  Person, and Anthony Boadle Gabriel Araujo. “Bolsonaro in Florida Hospital; 1,500 Supporters Detained after Brasilia Riots.” Reuters. Thomson Reuters, January 10, 2023. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/brazil-investigates-who-led-anti-democratic-riots-capital-2023-01-09/.  
6. Al Jazeera. “Jair Bolsonaro Leaves Brazil for Florida, Avoiding Lula Handover.” Jair Bolsonaro News | Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera, December 30, 2022. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/30/jair-bolsonaro-leaves-brazil-for-florida-avoiding-lula-handover. 
7. Ricardi, Nicolas and Klepper, David. Jan 9, 2023. “Brazil and Jan 6 in the U.S.: Parallel attacks, but not identical.” The Associated Press. https://apnews.com/article/jair-bolsonaro-steve-bannon-politics-brazil-government-22a083f0d08bb9d1d93b67871a103b0c; McBrien, Tyler. January 11, 2023. “Can you spot the difference between Jan 6. and Jan 8?” LawFare Blog. https://www.lawfareblog.com/can-you-spot-difference-between-jan-6-and-jan-8. 
8. Applebaum, Anne. “What the rioters in Brazil learned from Americans. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/01/brasilia-riot-bolsonaro-lula-trump/672677/

Additional Reading 

• Darcy, Oliver. “Déjà Coup: How Election Lies Sparked the Violent Attack on Brazil’s Government | CNN Business.” CNN. Cable News Network, January 10, 2023. https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/09/media/brazil-government-reliable-sources/index.html. 
• “Images from Brazil Show Protesters Storming the Capitol.” Council on Foreign Relations. Council on Foreign Relations. Accessed January 20, 2023. https://www.cfr.org/article/images-show-extent-brazils-capitol-riots. 
• Mitrovica, Andrew. “Brazil’s Failed Coup Is a Nightmare Revisited.” Politics | Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera, January 10, 2023. https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2023/1/10/brazils-failed-coup-is-a-nightmare-revisited. 
• Buschschlüter, Vanessa. “Brazil Election: Lula Makes Stunning Comeback.” BBC News. BBC, October 31, 2022. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-63451470. 
• “Lula Finds out That Latin America Is Not as He Left It.” Wilson Center. Accessed January 27, 2023. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/lula-finds-out-latin-america-not-he-left-it.