Guest Columnists Robert Weiner and Parker Treichel

Feb 2, 2023 at 6:00 AM

Jan. 6 marked the second anniversary of the insurrection by Donald Trump supporters after the former U.S. president lost the 2020 election. On Jan. 8, Brazil faced a similar, horrific event.

Supporters of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, now residing in Orlando, broke into the Supreme National Congress of Brazil, Federal Court and the Planalto Presidential Palace. The insurrections were strikingly similar, destruction of buildings, windows, property and artwork. Trump insurrection supporters stole then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi's laptop, podium and a letter. Brazil had gifts from foreign leaders stolen. Both insurrections set out to overturn each country's election because the far-right candidate did not win.

A supporter of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro holds a poster showing Bolsonaro and former U.S. President Donald Trump that reads in Portuguese "The year of the awakening" during Bolsonaro's campaign rally for reelection in Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, Friday, Oct. 14, 2022. The presidential run-off election is set for Oct. 30. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo) (Silvia Izquierdo/AP)

The comparisons are easy. Bolsanaro was often compared to Trump and they have numerous policies and statements that mirror each other. While Bolsonaro denounced the riot, he still held responsibility for spreading the disinformation and conspiracy theories that the election was stolen from him.

Steve Bannon, a constant figure in Trump's White House even after Bannon was no longer on staff, "reported" on Brazil's election for Breitbart News. Bannon has also worked closely with Brazilian congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, Jair Bolsonaro's son, about the power of his base. Eduardo Bolsonaro also met with ex-President Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Oct. 30. After former President Bolsonaro lost, Bannon's tactics seemed to mirror the actions taken after Trump's defeat: He claimed that the voting machines in Brazil were hacked. Both "hacking" allegations were false.

Luiz Início "Lula" da Silva was sworn in as president on Jan. 1, with the ability to respond quickly to arrest insurrection suspects and not just let people leave, as they did in the U.S. International observers, including judges, confirmed the legitimacy of the Brazilian election, David Anderson, an American judge who was an observer in Brazil and is a member of the National Press Club, told us. By Monday 1,200 people had been detained according to Flívio Dino, the Minister of Justice. There have been 978 arrests in the Jan. 6 insurrection as of the two-year anniversary. Lula promised that those who participated in the insurrection would be brought to justice.

The answer to stopping this radical right movement from metastasizing around the world is complicated and will not happen overnight. Brazil is currently taking steps to ensure that all of the protestors are arrested and face justice, thanks to getting a quick start on the day of the riots. The Jan. 6 committee referred Donald Trump and others to the Department of Justice, suggesting they face criminal charges for their actions inciting the insurrection. The most important action isn't only to arrest the people who were physically at these events, but also the people who organized and incited them.

We must be proactive in protecting our democracy and those around the world. The spread of misinformation has fueled these right-wing movements. The Jan. 6 committee looked at tech companies like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube that not only fuel political hate speech and disinformation, but reward it.

Protecting freedom of the press is critical so they can play their role as government watchdogs and counter misinformation whether it comes from countries' leaders or fringe parties. We need to require nations to take action by sanctioning and punishing countries and leaders like Vladimir Putin or Jair Bolsnaro who try to restrict or eliminate freedom of the press. Journalists are called the Fourth Estate because they prevent authoritarians from gaining power and they hold leaders — big or small —accountable. Right-wing governments are rising and there needs to be consistent factual reporting to stop them.

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Robert Weiner was a spokesman for the Clinton and Bush White Houses, the House Government Operations Committee under Chairman John Conyers, and senior staff for Rep. Claude Pepper, Rep. Ed Koch, and Sen. Ted Kennedy. Parker Treichel is a Policy Analyst at Robert Weiner Associates and Solutions for Change.

As submitted

Will insurrections be the norm in global politics? Brazil, with Ex-President Bolsonaro in Orlando, shows it's becoming dangerously possible.
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By Robert Weiner and Parker Treichel

January 6th marked the second anniversary of the insurrection by Trump supporters after the former president lost the 2020 election. On January 8th, Brazil faced a similar, horrific event. Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, now residing in Orlando, broke into the Supreme National Congress of Brazil, Federal Court and the Planalto Presidential Palace. The insurrections were strikingly similar, destruction of buildings, windows, property and artwork. Trump insurrection supporters stole then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi"'s laptop, podium and a letter. Brazil had gifts from foreign leaders stolen. Both insurrections set out to overturn each country"'s election because the far-right candidate did not win.

The comparisons are easy. Bolsanaro was often compared to Trump and they have numerous policies and statements that mirror each other. While Bolsonaro denounced the riot he still held the responsibility for spreading the disinformation and conspiracy theories that the election was stolen from him. Steve Bannon, a constant figure in Trump"'s White House even after Bannon was no longer on staff, "reported" on Brazil"'s election for Breitbart News. Bannon has also worked closely with Brazilian congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, Jair Bolsonaro"'s son, about the power of his base. Eduardo Bolsonaro also met with ex-President Trump at Mar a Lago on October 30th. Since former President Bolsonaro lost, Bannon spread similar misinformation about Brazil"'s election that he said about the 2020 U.S. election. He claimed that the voting machines in Brazil were hacked. Both "hacking" allegations were false.

Luiz Início "Lula" da Silva was sworn in as president on January 1, 2023, with the ability to respond fast to arrest people and not just let people leave, as they did in the U.S. International observers including judges confirmed the legitimacy of the Brazilian election, David Anderson, an American judge who was an observer in Brazil and is a member of the National Press Club, told us. By Monday 1,200 people had been detained according to Flívio Dino, the Minister of Justice. There have been 978arrests in the January 6 insurrection as of the two-year anniversary. Lula promised that those who participated in the insurrection would be brought to justice.

The question about how to stop this radical right movement from metastasizing around the world is complicated and will not happen overnight. Brazil is currently taking steps to ensure that all of the protestors are arrested and face justice-- they moved the same day, unlike the U.S. The January 6 committee referred Donald Trump and others to the Department of Justice suggesting they face criminal charges for their actions inciting the insurrection. The most important action isn't only to arrest the people who were physically at these events, but also the people who organized and incited those violent events.

We must be proactive in protecting our democracy and those around the world. The spread of misinformation has fueled these right wing movements. The January 6 committee looked at tech companies like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube that not only fuel political hate speech and disinformation, but reward it.

Protecting freedom of the press is critical so they can play their role as government watchdogs and counter misinformation whether it comes from countries' leaders or fringe parties. We need to require nations to take action by sanctioning and punishing countries and leaders likeVladimir Putin or Jair Bolsnaro who try to restrict or eliminate freedom of the press. Journalists are called the Fourth Estate because they prevent authoritarians from getting their power and they hold leaders big or small accountable. Right wing governments are rising and there needs to be consistent factual reporting to stop them.

Robert Weiner was a spokesman for the Clinton and Bush White Houses, the House Government Operations Committee under Chairman John Conyers, and senior staff for Cong. Claude Pepper, Ed Koch, and Sen. Ted Kennedy, Parker Treichel is a Policy Analyst at Robert Weiner Associates and Solutions for Change.