Governments Condemn Brazil Protests

Governments in Latin America and beyond were swift to condemn the unrest in Brazil’s capital on Sunday.

President Biden, who was visiting the southern U.S. border, called the protests “outrageous” while Jake Sullivan, his national security adviser, said the United States “condemns any effort to undermine democracy in Brazil.”

“Our support for Brazil’s democratic institutions is unwavering,” Mr. Sullivan wrote on Twitter. “Brazil’s democracy will not be shaken by violence.”

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken echoed that sentiment and pledged support for Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who took office on Jan. 1. “Using violence to attack democratic institutions is always unacceptable,” he said.

Latin American leaders also condemned the protests as undemocratic. The leaders of two neighboring nations, Argentina and Uruguay, assailed the demonstrations.

President Alberto Fernandez of Argentina wrote on Twitter: “Democracy is the only political system that guarantees freedoms and obliges us to respect the popular verdict.” In Uruguay, President Luis Lacalle Pou tweeted: “We regret and condemn the actions carried out in Brazil that threaten democracy and institutions.”

And Gabriel Boric Font, the president of Chile, vowed: “The Brazilian government has our full support in the face of this cowardly and vile attack on democracy.”

European leaders also backed Mr. Lula. President Emmanuel Macron of France said that “the will of the Brazilian people and democratic institutions must be respected.” Writing on Twitter, Mr. Macron said that Mr. Lula could count on France’s “unfailing support.”

And Pedro Sánchez, the prime minister of Spain, said he supported Mr. Lula, writing on Twitter, “We strongly condemn the assault on the Brazilian Congress and call for an immediate return to democratic normality.”