President Lula attended the event to denounce a “coup” against his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, led by supporters.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva held a celebration in the square where the violence occurred to mark the second anniversary of the attack on a government building.

On Wednesday, Lula – who underwent surgery last month for a brain bleed – appeared at the Plaza de Triomphe in the capital Brasilia to denounce Riots on January 8, 2023he compared it to Sudden against his presidency.

He also used the opportunity to express defiance after thousands of protesters broke into the presidential palace, the Supreme Court building and Congress after the attack.

“Today is the day to say it loud and clear: we are still here,” Lula told his supporters.

“We are here to show that we are alive and democracy is alive, contrary to the plans of the coup plotters of January 8, 2023.”

The attack on January 8 came just seven days after leftist leader Lula was inaugurated for a third consecutive term.

Lula was not in the presidential palace at the time, and the Brazilian Congress was not in session. But the attack caused millions of dollars in damage and injured dozens of law enforcement officers and protesters.

Many of the rioters sought to foment a military uprising against Lula’s presidency.

Lula’s electoral outcome was slim: he faced the current president Jair Bolsonaro in a runoff in October 2022 and won by one of the narrowest margins in Brazilian history. Just over 2.1 million votes separated the two candidates.

But far-right Bolsonaro had been spreading false claims long before the election that Brazil’s electronic voting system was vulnerable to fraud, and he refused to publicly admit defeat after the vote.

That sparked widespread protests, with Bolsonaro supporters blocking highways and attacking police headquarters In Brasilia. one bomb threat The situation in the capital was reported even on the eve of the inauguration.

Bolsonaro leaves the country Florida Before Lula came to power. He has since returned to the country, where he faces numerous legal cases and investigations.

Some involve his role in spreading misinformation about the election and his ties to the January 8, 2023, attacks.

In June 2023, the Brazilian Electoral Court ruled that Bolsonaro was not allowed to run for office again. until 2030as punishment for using government resources to sow distrust in the voting system.

In November 2024, the federal police officially defendant Bolsonaro and 36 allies are plotting to overturn the 2022 election results. Attorney General Paul Gonet has yet to decide whether to formally charge the former president.

Other investigations have also looked into whether Bolsonaro committed corruption jewelry Saudi Arabia spreads misinformation while in office, or while in office COVID-19 pandemic.

Nonetheless, Bolsonaro claimed on social media on Wednesday that US President-elect Donald Trump invited him to Washington, D.C., for the January 20 inauguration.

“My lawyer, Dr. Paulo Bueno, has submitted a request to Minister Alexandre de Moraes to retrieve my passport so that I can participate in this glorious and important historical event,” Bolsonaro said. Wrote.

His passport was confiscated during the ongoing investigation.