On Monday afternoon, protestors chanted “No Amnesty!” at the University of Sao Paulo’s law college, demanding the riot instigators be brought to justice, according to the Associated Press. It soon became the rallying cry for thousands across Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, visible on posters and banners.
“These people need to be punished, the people who ordered it need to be punished, those who gave money for it need to be punished,” Bety Amin, a 61-year-old therapist with the word “DEMOCRACY” stretched across the back of her shirt, told the news agency on Sao Paulo’s main boulevard .
“They don’t represent Brazil. We represent Brazil,” she said.
Many have drawn parallels between Sunday’s attack and the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump. Some are also honing in on the longstanding relationship between Bolsonaro, his family and Trump as well as some of his former strategists.
Biden, who is facing mounting pressure from a number of democratic lawmakers to expel Bolsonaro from the country, spoke to Lula in a phone call on Monday. He affirmed Lula’s victory and voiced “unwavering support” for Brazil’s democracy, according to a joint statement that was released by the White House Monday evening.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters earlier in the day that the U.S. had not received any official requests from the Brazilian government regarding the removal of Bolsonaro, who is believed to have flown to Florida days before his term ended.
Asked whether Bolsonaro entered the U.S. on an A-1 visa — meant for foreign diplomats or heads of state — State Department spokesman Ned Price on Monday declined to comment on Bolsonaro’s status specifically but said that type of visa lapses if the individual using it has a change in position.
The individual would need to apply for a change in status or leave the country, he said.
Doha Madani, Zoë Richards, Carmen Sesin, Isabela Espadas Barros Leal and Associated Press contributed.