Jair Bolsonaro, former Brazilian president, was spotted at a Kentucky Fried Chicken in Orlando, Florida

Washington, January 11 (RHC)-- Several U.S. lawmakers condemned the rioting by far-right supporters of the Washington-backed former President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, after they stormed and vandalized government buildings.   They also called on the Biden administration and local authorities in Florida to extradite Bolsonaro back to Brazil.

In a dramatic escalation of the political situation in Brazil, thousands of supporters of Bolsonaro forced their way into the country's Congress and Supreme Court and ransacked the buildings.  Local media outlets estimated that some 3,000 people had taken part in the raids.

The riots capped months of tension following the October 30 presidential vote that Bolsonaro lost to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.  Brazil’s newly inaugurated President Lula blamed Bolsonaro for instigating his supporters after a campaign of baseless allegations about the election result, vowing to bring those responsible for the "fascist" assault to justice.

“There is no precedent for what they did,” Lula told reporters in Sao Paulo.  "All the people who did this will be found and punished."

The Brazilian president, who took office on January 1st, also declared federal intervention in public security in the capital lasting until January 31st.  He said the local militarized police force that reports to Rocha, a former Bolsonaro ally, did nothing to stop the advance of the protesters.  

“I’m disturbed by the violence that took place in Brasília,” Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) wrote in a tweet. “I stand with the democratically-elected government of Brazil and condemn the violence trying to undermine it.”

“Democracies of the world must act fast to make clear there will be no support for right-wing insurrectionists storming the Brazilian Congress,” Representative Jamie Raskin (D-Md) wrote in a tweet. “These fascists modeling themselves after Trump’s January 6th rioters must end up in the same place: prison.”

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) wrote that the U.S. “must stand in solidarity” with President Lula and his government, adding that Washington “must cease granting refuge to Bolsonaro,” who is currently in Florida.

“Nearly 2 years to the day the U.S. Capitol was attacked by fascists, we see fascist movements attempting to do the same in Brazil,” Ocasio-Cortez said in her tweet, referring to the January 6, 2021 insurrection when Trump supporters occupied the U.S. Capitol while lawmakers were in the process of reviewing the certification of state electors which indicated Biden's victory.  Some Trump supporters had hoped that this process could have resulted in some of the electors being disqualified, thus overturning the outcome of the presidential election.

“When Americans show contempt for democracy, the contempt spreads,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) wrote on Sunday.  “Those who are trying to overthrow the legitimately elected government in Brazil should be held accountable just like the traitors were here.  America stands with @LulaOficial and the rule of law in Brazil.”

Representative Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) called on the Biden administration and local authorities in Florida to extradite Bolsonaro back to Brazil amid the chaos.  Bolsonaro, 67, flew to Florida late last month as he is facing multiple investigations stemming from his time in office.  

“I stand with @LulaOficial and Brazil’s democratically elected government,” Castro wrote in his tweet. “Domestic terrorists and fascists cannot be allowed to use Trump’s playbook to undermine democracy.”

Presidents of Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Cuba, Costa Rica and Paraguay also issued messages in condemnation of the attack on "the Brazilian Congress, Palace and Supreme Court by anti-democratic groups."

The Spanish prime minister, Italy's premier, and the president of the European Parliament issued similar condemnatory messages.