Brazilian president cracks down on protesters

Brazilian police on Monday arrested about 1,200 protesters encamped outside a military building. Three hundred others were arrested Sunday night as hordes of protesters stormed the country’s National Congress, Supreme Court, and the presidential palace. The rioters demanded the newly-elected president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva step down and be replaced by former president Jair Bolsonaro. Lula and other Brazilian officials have announced an investigation to identify and punish individuals who took part in the protests.

What have world leaders said about the unrest? President Biden on Monday condemned the protest in a joint statement with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — the three leaders were in Mexico City for a summit. Other world leaders and the United Nations chief have also said the crowd’s actions were inexcusable and threatened the peaceful transfer of power.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Jamie Dean’s report about Bolsonaro, the “Trump of the Tropics.”