Switzerland expresses ‘great concern’ after Brazil’s Congress stormed

The aftermath of rioting at Brazil's Congress building. Keystone / Andre Coelho

The Swiss embassy in Brazil is following events “with great concern” after demonstrators stormed the country’s Congress, Presidential Palace and Supreme Court to protest the result of October’s general election.

Police are still trying to restore order after thousands of demonstrators descended on Brazil’s capital, Brasília, on Sunday.

“We reiterate our support for Brazilian institutions and democracy,” the Swiss embassy tweeted, a message that was re-tweeted by the Swiss foreign ministry.

The storming of key government infrastructure was in response to the election of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva last year who won against the right-wing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro.

The demonstration mirrored the storming of Congress in the United States by a mob in 2021 also claiming election fraud.

President Lula’s election success in Brazil was welcomed in many quarters in Switzerland last year, particularly by left-wing politicians and environmental groups.

But thousands of Bolsonaro supporters in Brazil, many wearing the yellow shirts of the national football team, expressed their opposition to the election result by ransacking Congress.