Musk hopes for 'peaceful' resolution as pro-Bolsonaro rioters spark protests in Brazil

Twitter CEO Elon Musk weighed in on the nationwide protests that erupted in Brazil and expressed his hopes that the country reaches a peaceful solution soon. Taking to his Twitter handle on Monday, the billionaire wrote, “I hope that the people of Brazil are able to resolve matters peacefully.”

Musk’s tweet comes as protests broke out in Brazil on Sunday as supporters of ex-president Jair Bolsonaro stormed the Supreme Court, Congress, and the presidential palace after not accepting Bolsonaro’s defeat to incumbent president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

According to the Associated Press, thousands of rioters resorted to violent means, from breaking windows to crossing security barricades to storm the three buildings. The protests come just a week after Lula da Silva’s inauguration to office. In a news conference, Lula held his predecessor accountable for inciting the protests carried out by “fascist fanatics.” “There is no precedent for what they did and these people need to be punished,” he said.

Bolsonaro condemns protests in Brazil 

Protesters demanded a military intervention to either oust Lula or reinstate Bolsonaro back to the office. A telecast by local news outlet Globo News showed demonstrators dressed in colours of Brazil’s national flag. In a bid to subdue the protests, police assembled on the scene fired tear gas, followed by protesters walking out from the presidential palace with their hands tied to their backs.

Criticizing the violent protests, Bolsonaro said on Twitter: "Peaceful demonstrations, in the form of the law, are part of democracy. However, depredations and invasions of public buildings as occurred today, as well as those practised by the left in 2013 and 2017, escape the rule." "Throughout my mandate, I have always been within the four lines of the Constitution, respecting and defending the laws, democracy, transparency and our sacred freedom," he added.