Evidence shows Bolsonaro supporters were behind Brazil’s capital riot, not ‘Lula's staff’

As Brazilian workers cleaned up the wreckage from the Jan. 8 riot on governmental buildings, false claims circulated about who was responsible for making the mess. 

A Jan. 8 Instagram video pointed the blame at President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s own employees.

"Lula's staff infiltrated and caused damage while the Brazilian Patriots cleaned up. Don't listen to the lies of the mainstream media," the post’s caption read.

In the video, people wearing the national colors of Brazil are seen sweeping up broken glass, while others walk in and out of the building. A woman can be heard speaking in Portuguese: 

"We didn’t make this mess, it was the tear gas bombs that the police threw. It wasn’t us. There, you see, look. It is the patriot who is cleaning, it’s not an employee of the Chamber." 

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Overwhelming evidence — from news coverage, law enforcement, statements by heads of state, posts by the protesters themselves — shows it was supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro who caused the break-in and damage to the government buildings. 

"They took advantage of the silence on Sunday, when we are still setting up the government, to do what they did," Lula tweeted Jan. 8. "And you know that there are several speeches by the former president encouraging this. And this is also his responsibility and the parties that supported him."

PolitiFact found numerous videos posted to Telegram by Bolsonaro’s supporters, and we spoke to experts who verified the protestors’ affiliations.

On Oct. 30, Brazilian citizens elected left-leaning candidate Lula as president over Bolsonaro, whose politics mirror that of former U.S. President Donald Trump. Lula, a former president himself who served from 2003-2011, beat Bolsonaro narrowly in the polls. 

In 2021, Bolsonaro doubled down on the claim that if he lost the upcoming election, it would be because it was rigged. That notion cemented itself among his supporters, who spread the claim that there was fraud in the democratic process.

Once Lula won, protests followed. Social media accounts on such platforms as Telegram have documented the growing demonstrations by people who falsely claim the election was stolen. One pro-Bolsonaro Telegram channel, called The Brazilian Report — not to be confused with the same-named national news organization — shared months of daily posts and videos of protesters who wore national colors, which is common among the former president’s supporters. They regularly insisted the election was fraudulent.

Videos on the channel showed protesters gathering outside military bases around the country, calling for armed forces to enact a military coup so Bolsonaro could retake the presidency. One video, shared Nov. 15, showed protesters at the gates of Military Command of the Southeast, in São Paulo.

"Forças Armadas, salvem o Brasil!" the crowds chanted. That translates to "Armed Forces, save Brazil!"

News reports shared that Bolsonaro’s supporters camped outside of military barracks for more than 10 weeks. In a Twitter thread, the founder of the news outlet The Brazilian Report shared stories it had published over months documenting the growing effort by Bolsonaro supporters to spread lies about the election and foster extremism.

A video posted by the same Instagram account sharing the claim blaming Lula’s staff also showed a news clip identifying Bolsonaro’s supporters, who had been camping for 62 days. 

"Now they are saying that Lula is a thief, and they don’t support that," a reporter said in the clip.

Meanwhile, Bolsonaro flew to Orlando, Florida, and has been there since Dec. 30.

Marcelo Fontoura, adjunct professor of digital and data journalism at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, told PolitiFact that these protests are the work of Bolsonaro supporters. 

"Those are the most radicalized of the Bolsonaristas, often employing aggressive language and methods to declare the election as stolen," Fortoura said. "These calls and claims are spread mainly through WhatsApp and, in the last year, Telegram. It’s easy to find groups where Bolsonaro’s supporters are calling for people to contribute to the cause, if not financially, just by spreading their ideas."

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On Jan. 8, scores of Bolsonaro supporters arrived in the nation’s capital, Brasília. They gathered at the office of the president, the Supreme Court, and the National Congress of Brazil.

Multiple videos posted on Telegram showed different angles of the protesters as they marched to, and then overran, the buildings. One video showed protesters marching up the ramp of Congress and onto the roof. Another showed them throwing objects, including ladders, at police cars driving through the crowds.

"Protestors breach barriers around Congress building in Brasília," one channel posted, showing a video of scores of protesters waving flags and climbing through broken glass doors and windows. 

In the video, a man can be heard shouting, "A lot of people, a lot of people out there, guys, a lot of people out there, guys. The police could not contain the people, they could not contain the people. They broke the windows, broke everything, they entered the house. They broke everything, everything."

Rodrigo Patto Sa Motta, a political history professor at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, called the chaos a "Bolsonarist attack." 

Fontoura pointed out that besides the property damage, "the other important aspect of what they have done is to further deepen the divide in Brazilian society, questioning institutions and furthering the nation from social and political stability."

Since the riots, numerous world leaders and heads of state have condemned the day’s actions while aligning themselves in support of Lula. U.S. President Joe Biden joined with presidents of Canada and Mexico in issuing a joint statement describing the actions as anti-democratic and saying they look forward to working with Lula in support of the peaceful transfer of power. And, in a joint statement with Lula following a Jan. 9 phone call, Biden offered "unwavering support of the United States for Brazil’s democracy and for the free will of the Brazilian people as expressed in Brazil’s recent presidential election, which President Lula won."

An Instagram post claimed Lula's staff infiltrated government buildings and caused damage in Brazil’s capital. 

There is overwhelming evidence to show that pro-Bolsonaro protesters, not Lula’s staff, attacked the buildings. Weeks’ worth of videos show the protesters’ actions leading up to their storming of the capital. Experts also confirmed the rioters could not have been Lula’s staff. And numerous heads of state have decried the violence while aligning themselves with Lula.

We rate this claim Pants on Fire! 

PolitiFact contributing reporter Luiz Romero contributed to this report.

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