By Daniel Nardini
January 7th will be a day that lives in infamy. Last weekend, the supporters of the right wing populist former president Jair Balsonaro tried to overthrow the legitimately elected government of Brazil. In an extremely dangerous move reminiscent of what supporters of former U.S. President Donald Trump tried to do on January 6, 2021, Balsonaro supporters stormed the Brazilian Congress national building as well as the presidential office and the supreme court building in the capital Brasilia. They left a good deal of destruction in their wake, and current Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has vowed to bring those responsible for this to justice. And current President Lula should. This fascist attempted coup should never be tolerated.
And make no mistake, this was a fascist attempted takeover. I never thought in my lifetime that I would see the e-rise of Fascism and all that it entails. We saw it in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021, the Russian imperialist invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and now an attempt at overthrowing the Brazilian government just last weekend. This all points to a concerted effort among a growing number of groups, organizations and shadow terrorist cells that democratic procedures for seizing power do not work for their plans. Now they are using extra-legal and terrorist methods to achieve their goals. The truly scary part is that like much of the Republican Party here in the United States, Balsonaro’s party will do nothing to bring those responsible for this to justice.
The Balsonaro supporters have even called upon the Brazilian armed forces to overthrow the duly elected government. With any luck this call has fallen on deaf ears. But make no mistake, none of this is happening in a vacuum. Extremist right wing fascist parties have been seizing control in a number of countries and are now implementing extremist right wing policies in the countries they now control. This is happening in Italy and in Hungary for example. These movements have failed in Germany, the United States and in Brazil, but not for a lack of trying. This new fascist menace must be stopped at all costs. Vigilance is the price we must pay for keeping our basic freedoms from being taken away by those who would do it whether by terrorist or legal means.
The Brazilian Insurrection
By Daniel Nardini
And make no mistake, this was a fascist attempted takeover. I never thought in my lifetime that I would see the e-rise of Fascism and all that it entails. We saw it in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021, the Russian imperialist invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and now an attempt at overthrowing the Brazilian government just last weekend. This all points to a concerted effort among a growing number of groups, organizations and shadow terrorist cells that democratic procedures for seizing power do not work for their plans. Now they are using extra-legal and terrorist methods to achieve their goals. The truly scary part is that like much of the Republican Party here in the United States, Balsonaro’s party will do nothing to bring those responsible for this to justice.
The Balsonaro supporters have even called upon the Brazilian armed forces to overthrow the duly elected government. With any luck this call has fallen on deaf ears. But make no mistake, none of this is happening in a vacuum. Extremist right wing fascist parties have been seizing control in a number of countries and are now implementing extremist right wing policies in the countries they now control. This is happening in Italy and in Hungary for example. These movements have failed in Germany, the United States and in Brazil, but not for a lack of trying. This new fascist menace must be stopped at all costs. Vigilance is the price we must pay for keeping our basic freedoms from being taken away by those who would do it whether by terrorist or legal means.