Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe condemned the recent violence and expressed support for democracy and Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva, after supporters of his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro stormed government buildings in Brasília on Sunday.
In a twitter message, Wickremesinghe said he is “deeply concerned” about the recent violence that erupted in Brasilia.
He added that not too long ago, Sri Lanka had also experienced “similar attempts by groups to overthrow democratic structures through unconstitutional means”.
“Such hostilities are condemned, and we stand in solidarity with the President, Government and people of Brazil in this hour of confrontation,” he emphasized.
Wickremesinghe said it is imperative that democracy and its institutions are universally respected by all citizens.
"I am deeply concerned about the recent violence that erupted in #Brasilia. #SriLanka, not so long ago, also experienced similar attempts by groups to overthrow democratic structures through unconstitutional means. Such hostilities are condemned, and we stand in solidarity (1/2) pic.twitter.com/c6FrraZDLl
— PMD (@PMDNewsGov) January 9, 2023
Supporters of Brazil’s far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro on Sunday invaded the country’s Supreme Court and its Congressional building and surrounded the presidential palace in Brasilia.
The demonstrators refused to accept his legitimate October election defeat to leftist rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The riots came a week after Lula’s inauguration as president and saw Bolsonaro’s followers bypass security barricades and vandalize all three buildings, resulting in more than 400 arrests after hours of clashes with security forces.
“The coup plotters who promoted the destruction of public property in Brasilia are being identified and will be punished,” Lula said in a tweet Sunday night, vowing to resume work in the palace on Monday.
The new president was forced to declare emergency powers and to close off the center of the capital for 24 hours until order is restored.
World leaders have condemned the violence and the attacks on Brazilian government buildings.
In a tweet Sunday night, U.S. President Joe Biden condemned what he called “the assault on democracy and the peaceful transfer of power in Brazil.”
Biden added, “Brazil’s democratic institutions have our full support and the will of the Brazilian people must not be undermined.”
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday also condemned “any attempt to undermine the peaceful transfer of power and the democratic will of the people of Brazil.”
Sunak said Lula’s government has the U.K.’s “full support” and that he looked forward to building on the two countries’ ties in the years ahead.
The Brazilian president received words of support from Moscow, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying Russia condemned the instigators “in the strongest terms,” according to Reuters.
--With inputs from agencies
