Elon Musk hopes that the people of Brazil are able to resolve matters peacefully. If you are wondering what he is talking about, read on.
On January 8, thousands of former Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro's supporters invaded Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court in what President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva dubbed a "fascist" assault. Brazilian security forces responded by launching a huge operation.
Security forces eventually managed to retake the Congress building in the evening following hours of complete anarchy in Brasilia's centre of power, which was reminiscent of the January 6, 2021 US Capitol building invasion by supporters of then-president Donald Trump, who happens to be a friend of Bolsonaro.
With security forces utilising riot police on horseback, water cannon, and tear-gas bombs fired from helicopters to fight them off, a large effort to remove the protesters from the Planalto presidential palace and the Supreme Court was still ongoing.
World leaders have unanimously condemned the attack. As condemnation poured in from all over the world against crowds who forced their way into Brasilia's government buildings on January 8, US President Joe Biden called the attacks carried out by Jair Bolsonaro's supporters "outrageous".
Chilean, Colombian and Venezuelan presidents condemned the mob behaviour while French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted his support for Lula, the leftist who was elected as Brazil's new president a week ago. "The will of the Brazilian people and the democratic institutions must be respected!" Macron posted on Twitter.
The attack "cannot leave us indifferent," said Italy Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said, "Lula is not alone, he has the support of the progressive forces of his country, of Mexico, of the Americas and of the world."
Meanwhile, Musk’s tweet on Brazil has gotten some strong responses. One of the users replied with a link to a New York Post article that says the Twitter CEO became “directly involved" in the Brazilian election and personally moderated tweets related to the event.
The election in Brazil, won by Lula against Bolsonaro by fewer than 2% points, was marred by appalling online misinformation distributed by both candidates' allies. Supporters of Bolsonaro called Lula a Satanist while Lula supporters accused Bolsonaro of being a cannibal.
(With agency inputs)