Organize the mass struggle against a coup d'état!

Last Sunday afternoon, January 8, supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro stormed the National Congress and tried to occupy other public buildings, aiming at promoting riots that would lead up to a coup d'état.

This movement, articulated for months by sectors of the Brazilian ultra-right, has solid financial support from businesspeople and segments of the military police and the Armed Forces. Through the social media, extreme right groups have been outspoken against the recognition of the election results waging attacks on democracy.

Video footage on social networks and television leave no doubt as to the acquiescence from part of the police forces in Brasília. With a small amount of staff employed to prevent this expected attack they also made a blind eye to the mobs.

Local authorities already knew that about a hundred buses full of demonstrators had come to the federal capital. This fact is not unique: after the announcement of Lula's victory, coup actions were plotted in broad daylight in Brasília on December 24. There was also an attempt to blow up a tank truck at the Brasília airport on the eve of the last day of Bolsonaro’s government. The idea was to spread chaos, hatred, confrontation with the institutions, and prepare the ground for a possible military intervention.

The PCB understands that a clear attack on democratic bodies is underway. We demand an immediate investigation and punishment of the authorities that prevaricated and made this outrageous episode possible. We demand investigations to identify the leaders and financiers of these actions and their consequent arrest.

The moment demands an effective, articulated and united response from all popular and social movements, democratic entities and left parties against neo-fascism and their terrorist groups.

Therefore, we propose:

1. An emergency meeting of the national leaderships of the left parties and the progressive political organizations to articulate actions and mobilizations against the coup activism, with the arrest of their leaders and dismissal of public employees involved in the attempt to overthrow the elected government.

2. Articulation in all the states of mass protests denouncing the coup attempts and demanding the arrest of the articulators.

3. Organization of broad state plenaries to fight against the coup attempts and in defense of democratic freedoms!

Fascists shall not pass!

The National Political Committee
Brazilian Communist Party - PCB