Panama president joins world leaders in condemning Brazil assault

Panama President Laurentino Cortizo was one of the first leaders to condemn on  Sunday the assault by supporters of former Brazilian far-right president Jair Bolsonaro on Congress, the Supreme Court, and the presidential palace, which some consider a  fascist”coup attempt” and expressed their unwavering support for President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

President Joe Biden summed it up in one word: “outrageous.” His national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said Washington “condemns any attempt to undermine democracy” and said Biden was “monitoring the situation closely.” “Our support for Brazil’s democratic institutions is unwavering. Brazil’s democracy will not be shaken by violence,” Sullivan said on Twitter.

Argentina
President Alberto Fernández expressed his solidarity with the Lula government “in the face of this coup attempt” and, as president of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), called on the region to unite against “the anti-democratic reaction.”.

Mexico
“The coup attempt by Brazil’s conservatives, urged on by the oligarchic power leadership, its spokesmen and fans, is reprehensible and undemocratic,” leftist President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said on the same social network. “Lula is not alone, he has the support of the progressive forces of his country, Mexico, the American continent, and the world,” he added.

Colombia
“Fascism decides to carry out a coup,” Colombian President Gustavo Petro tweeted. “The right-wing has not been able to maintain the non-violence pact. It is an urgent time for the OAS to meet.

Venezuela
President Nicolás Maduro “categorically rejects the violence generated by Bolsonaro’s neo-fascist groups that have assaulted the democratic institutions of Brazil” and supports Lula and the Brazilian people.

Chile
President Gabriel Boric described the attack as “unpresentable”. The government has announced that it is promoting, together with other countries, an extraordinary session of the OAS Permanent Council.

Cuba                                                                                                                                                             “Refusing to recognize a triumph of the alternative, the Bolsonaristas are emulators of the Trumpists who stormed the Washington Capitol.” Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel stated categorically on Twitter

Bolivia                                                                                                                                                                    “The fascists will always seek to take by force what they did not achieve at the polls,” Bolivian President Luis Arce, who also sympathizes with Lula, said on Twitter.

Ecuador                                                                                                                                                            President Guillermo Lasso described on Twitter as “disrespect and vandalism” the actions perpetrated by Bolsonaro’s followers because they “attack the democratic order and citizen security.” Quito supports Lula and his “legally constituted” government.

Peru                                                                                                                                                                 Peru, through the mouth of the Foreign Ministry, condemns the assault and “any attempt to ignore the legitimacy of the October 2022 elections” won by Lula, to whom he expresses his solidarity.

Dominican Republic                                                                                                                                          The same tone is in the Dominican Republic, whose President Luis Abinader expressed “the strongest repudiation and condemnation of the unjustifiable acts of violence against the powers of the State and democracy in Brazil.”

OAS                                                                                                                                                                    The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) Luis Almagro condemned “the attack on the institutions in Brasilia, which constitutes a reprehensible action and a direct attack on democracy.” “These actions are inexcusable and fascist in nature,” he said in a tweet.

EU                                                                                                                                                                     “Full support for President Lula da Silva, democratically elected by millions of Brazilians after fair and free elections,” Belgian European Council President Charles Michel said on Twitter.

The president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, stated that she was “deeply concerned”.

France
French President Emmanuel Macron called for “respect for the institutions” of Brazil and expressed France’s “unfailing support” for Lula.

Italy
The head of the Italian government, the far-right Giorgia Meloni, believes that “the images of the irruption in the headquarters of the institutions are incompatible with any form of democratic disagreement” and calls for “a return to normality.