Protesters storm Brazil's Chamber of Deputies calling for military intervention

Protesters stormed the Chamber of Deputies and occupied the plenary room for over three hours on Wednesday (Nov. 16). About 50 people from different Brazilian states were shouting: “We demand a general!” The glass door that leads into the plenary room was smashed in the tumult.

The session was suspended, and Congress police was called in to remove the protesters, but they refused to leave. The deputy leader of the PMDB party, Darcísio Perondi (RS), tried to negotiate with the demonstrators, who dubbed themselves as Interventionists. According to Perondi, they demanded the end of corruption and called for the country's military to intervene. They also demanded the presence of an army General before they could negotiate leaving.

According to Deputy Marcos Rogério, Congress police asked lawmakers and journalists to leave the plenary room for security reasons, based on claims that some demonstrators were carrying weapons. The deputy said a national flag from the room was pulled down.

Arrest warrant

Upon hearing of the invasion, Speaker Rodrigo Maia ordered Congress police to arrest all the demonstrators:

“I gave orders to arrest them with the assistance of Federal Police. We will not tolerate this kind of abuse and assault on Parliament,” Maia said.

According to the Chamber of Deputies press office, the protesters will be charged with threatening national security for attempted disruption of the operation of one of the three branches of government. Applicable punishment can range from two to six years' imprisonment.

President Temer criticizes episode

The storming of the Chamber of Deputies drew criticism from Brazil's President Michel Temer, who said that kind of behavior should be “fought in the light of the law to protect the integrity of every institution of the State.”

Through his Spokesman Alexandre Parola, Temer said it was an “affront” to the lower house of Congress, an institution which, he noted, represents “popular sovereignty.”

“The Federal Constitution ensures everyone is free to express their opinions, but does not warrant abuse and disrespect for the institutions. In a democracy, the most important value that should be upheld is that of respect for free expression and garnering support on the basis of persuasion and reasoning,” Parola said.

* With additional reporting by Paulo Vitor Chagas.

Translated by Mayra Borges