Bolsonaro backers are burning Brazil with protests and more protests

After the mayhem caused by the right-wing supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil on January 9, 2023, his backers are in no mood to give up. The protests increased in numbers on Wednesday (January 11) as demonstrations were called in several cities of Brazil against the left-wing government of newly elected President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva. 

The world had witnessed shocking scenes on January 9, 2023 as rampant mob of nearly three thousand people stormed into the Brazilian Congress building in the capital city of Brasilia. The protesters who comprised up of right-wing supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro, broke furniture, tore posters, and damaged the buildings. 

On Wednesday, the Brazilian authorities were all decked up in anti-riot gears to dispel any violent activity, though capital city Brasillia, along with Rio De Janeiro and Sau Paulo didn't witness massive protests as it was expected.

However, the organisers of the protests have called for anti-government demonstrations in recent weeks on the social media to block refineries, bring down the power lines and cause enough chaos to prompt a military coup to take over the government.

What the protesters want: Just like their leader Jair Bolsonaro, the "Bolsonarists" as they are called, haven't accepted the verdict of the last election.

• Bolsonaro had repeatedly accused the Federal Supreme Court of Brazil of being against him and also called the Election Commission of being working against him. He never conceded defeat to Lula Da Silva in the first place and instead few to Florida, US, ahead of the swearing-in ceremony.
• The supporters of Bolsonaro, however, had been angry against the verdict and they simply cannot digest the fact that a person, who had been to prison on corruption charges nearly five years back and has spent considerable time there, is their President now.
• Since Lula's victory, the right-wing supporters of Bolsonaro had been camping outside the army headquarters for months to provoke a coup and remove Lula from the Chair. When this didn't happen, they attacked the Federal Police Headquarters in Brasilia in December.
• And after Lula was successfully sworn in as the President on January 1, 2023, the protestors increased their campaigns and in a carefully-orchestrated move, attacked the 'Three Squares Building', in the capital city.

The arrests: Since the protests on Sunday, more than 1,500 people have been arrested and the authorities are looking for more people who had caused destruction at the Presidential buildings.

• Out of 1,500 arrested, 600 have been taken to other facilities, where the police officials will formally charge them.
• Only 520 protesters have been released, some of whom shouted messages of continued defiance from buses.

Where is Bolsonaro? The former President is camping in Florida, US. Florida is also a place where highest numbers of Brazilians live in US.

• Bolsonaro is meeting with his supporters in Florida.
• On January 10, 2023, he was hospitalized in Florida due to an abdominal pain.
• However, after the violent protests in Brazil, there is a mounting pressure on Joe Biden to extradite Bolsonaro from US.
• Also, Bolsonaro is on a a Visa reserved for diplomats and heads of state. This visa allows individuals to stay in US for up to 30 days.
• Ned Price, spokesman for the United States Department of State in a press briefing said that if an a Visa holder is no longer officially engaged in business with the government, "it is incumbent of that visa holder to depart the US or to request a change to another immigration status," BBC reported.

The Biden has clarified that it has received no extradition requests from Brazil, but has faced pressure from the lawmakers to do something about him.