BRASÍLIA, Brazil — Empty tents, scattered trash and overflowing garbage cans are all that's left of an encampment in front of the Brazilian capital's military compound.
The ad hoc campsite had been ground zero for loyalists of Brazil's far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro, who were pushing for the military to intervene and overturn the election he lost in October.
Echoing Bolsonaro's false claims of electoral fraud, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters ransacked the nation's Congress, Supreme Court and presidential office on Sunday, leaving a path of destruction, in stunning scenes reminiscent of the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol insurrection.
President Biden had a phone call with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Monday, in which Biden "condemned the violence and the attack on democratic institutions and on the peaceful transfer of power" in Brasília, according to a joint statement. It also said Lula accepted an invitation to visit Washington for "in-depth consultations" in early February.
Lula's government has vowed to protect democracy and punish those who took part in the assault.
"They will not succeed in destroying Brazilian democracy. We need to say that fully, with all firmness and conviction," Justice Minister Flávio Dino said. "We will not accept the path of criminality to carry out political fights in Brazil."
The authorities said they've so far detained more than 1,000 people and cleared the encampment outside the military compound.
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