Brazil’s president has sacked the country’s army chief, fearing that the country’s democracy is under threat following an uprising by far-right protesters.
The official website of the Brazilian Armed Forces reported that General Julio Cesar de Arruda had been removed from his post as army chief.
He was replaced by General Tomas Miguel Ribeiro Paiva, who headed the Southeast Military Command.
Around 1,500 people were arrested after the invasion of Brazil’s congress, presidential palace and supreme court in early January.
The rioters were call for military intervention either restore far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro or oust leftist newly elected Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, known as Lula, who won the election with only 50.9% of the vote.
Supporters of the former president stormed government buildings and destroyed public property.
Mr. Lula has repeatedly said in public that there were definitely people in the army who allowed the riots to happen.
Similarities to the January 6, 2021 Congressional Riots
The riot bore strong similarities to Riots of January 6, 2021 in the US Congress by crowds who wanted to overturn former President Donald Trump’s electoral defeat to Joe Biden.
Mr Lula met with Defense Minister Jose Mucio, Chief of Staff Rui Costa and the new army commander in Brasilia later on Saturday.
Speaking afterwards, Mr Mucio said the January 8 riots had caused “a rift in the level of trust” at the highest levels of the military and that the government had decided change was needed.
Learn more about Brazil:
What’s going on in the capital?
Riots are not a wave of random anger
Mob straight out of Trump’s playbook – with a difference
A woman reacts next to soldiers
Former president under investigation
Mr Bolsonaro is currently under investigation for allegedly encouraging his supporters.
BrazilThe Supreme Court has now agreed to look into the gruesome scenes, just as US politicians have investigated The role of Donald Trump in those of Washington.
Accepting a request from federal prosecutors, Judge Alexandre de Moraes said, “Public figures who continue to cowardly conspire against democracy by trying to establish a state of emergency will be held accountable.”
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Prosecutors say Mr Bolsonarowho is in the United States for medical treatmentwill be investigated for possible “instigation and intellectual authorship of anti-democratic acts that culminated in vandalism and violence.”
