Lawmakers ask Biden to revoke Bolsonaro’s visa

A group of 46 Democratic lawmakers on Thursday requested that U.S. President Joe Biden cancel former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s diplomatic visa because he is no longer a head of state. Bolsonaro’s supporters occupied three buildings Sunday in the country’s capital, Brasília, to protest the election of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The lawmakers also said Bolsonaro spurred the riots by saying the election results were not accurate and that the United States should not harbor him. In the wake of the Sunday incident, Bolsonaro said on Twitter that peaceful protests are a part of democracy, but destroying public buildings crosses the line.

Will there be more protests? Brazilian police patrolled the streets in major cities Wednesday after social media posts promoted a “mega-protest to retake power” across the country. Few protesters seemed to show up at the sites—one said the low numbers were because of a recent police crackdown. Brazilian federal prosecutors on Wednesday requested an investigation of three allies of former President Jair Bolsonaro for allegedly inciting a riot Sunday. 

Dig deeper: Read Eric Patterson’s column in World Opinions on how political violence damaged democracy.