What’s behind the violent protests in Brazil? Are they a threat to democracy there?   

Last Sunday, thousands of supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stormed the three most important federal buildings, the presidential palace, Congress and the Supreme Court. 

The demonstrators reject the outcome of the October election which saw President Lula return to office. They want Bolsonaro back in charge. At first, the police in Brasilia did very little to stop the demonstrators. Some 1,500 people were eventually detained. 

Joining the discussion: 

• Gustavo Ribeiro is the founder and editor in chief of The Brazilian Report. 
• Alberto Danon, also from Sao Paulo, is a journalist and entrepreneur. 
• Paulo Sotero is a distinguished fellow at the Brazil Institute at the Wilson Center. 
• Paulo Cabral, joining us from Rio de Janeiro, is a CGTN Correspondent.

Watch: Riots in Brasília followed months of anger at the election of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. WSJ looks at the key moments to understand how and why the riots unfolded. https://t.co/btdmhUv35r

— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) January 12, 2023

Brazilian authorities are widening their investigation of how thousands of supporters of the former far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, rampaged through the Congress, presidential palace and Supreme Court buildings on Sunday in Brasília.https://t.co/H9QN36DcNR

— NPR (@NPR) January 12, 2023

The Brasília riot was not simply a repeat of the events in the U.S., experts say – it was different in important ways that are unique to Brazil. https://t.co/0ndQrhzwlC

— PBS NewsHour (@NewsHour) January 12, 2023