Brazil’s Copycat Insurrection Won’t Be the Last
Social-media misinformation feeds anti-democratic rage that risks going global.
Supporters of Brazilian former President Jair Bolsonaro invade the National Congress in Brasilia on January 8, 2023.
Photographer: SERGIO LIMA/AFP/Getty Images
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What is it about January that makes people want to take a little jaunt in their nation’s capital city for some fresh air, and before you know it, they’re launching a full-scale attack on every democratic institution in sight?
Two years ago on Jan. 6, a small group of violent Americans wrote the Proud Boy playbook for “How Not to Throw an Insurrection 101” after Donald Trump invited his radical supporters to storm Congress and prevent Joe Biden from becoming president. We all know how that worked out. Fans of Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro apparently felt the American manual lacked pizazz, so they attempted to write their own this weekend. Let’s call it “Insurrection for Dummies.” I took creative liberties in designing a possible cover: