Biden, Obrador, Trudeau condemn riots in Brazil

President Biden, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau jointly condemned the riots that broke out in Brazil on Sunday.

“Canada, Mexico, and the United States condemn the January 8 attacks on Brazil’s democracy and on the peaceful transfer of power. We stand with Brazil as it safeguards its democratic institutions,” the leaders said in a statement on Monday. 

The three leaders are together in Mexico City for the North American Leaders’ Summit over the next two days.

They added in the statement that their governments “support the free will of the people of Brazil” and that they all look forward to working with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Lula’s inauguration took place a week prior to Sunday’s riots.

Thousands of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s supporters on Sunday stormed government offices, in a scene reminiscent of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. They entered the country’s Congress, Supreme Court and presidential palace to protest the results of the presidential election and hundreds have since been arrested.

When asked about the unfolding situation as he visited the southern border in Texas on Sunday, Biden described the events as “outrageous.”

Biden also condemned the protesters in a solo statement, vowing that Brazil’s democratic institutions have his administration’s “full support.”

Bolsonaro, who lost his reelection bid in October, did not completely concede to Lula. The former president is believed to be in Florida after fleeing Brazil amid ongoing investigations stemming from his time in office.