RIO DE JANEIRO - Nearly one in five Brazilians said they approve of Sunday’s capital rampage carried out by backers of ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, according to results of a poll released on Wednesday by Atlas Intelligence.

The poll is the first major opinion survey in the wake of the political violence.

To the question: “Do you agree with the actions of Bolsonaro protesters” who stormed Congress, the presidency and supreme court in Brasilia on Sunday, 18.4 per cent of 2,200 respondents said “yes”.

Nearly 76 per cent disagreed with the actions, and 5.8 per cent had no opinion.

Fifty-three per cent of respondents said the invasions were “totally unjustified”, while 27.5 per cent said they were “partly justified” and 10.5 per cent “completely justified”.

Just over half said Mr Bolsonaro was responsible for the acts that shocked many in Brazil, according to the poll conducted by the Sao Paulo-based data company over two days after the riots.

The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points.

On Sunday, several thousand so-called “bolsonaristas” demanding the ouster of democratically elected leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva forced their way into the three buildings, causing massive property damage.

The poll also found that Mr Lula’s approval rate was now 51 per cent.

Disapproval of Lula was at 42 per cent in the Atlasintel poll.

His government was considered “good” or “great” by 41.3 per cent of those surveyed, while 38.4 per cent saw it as “bad” or “terrible”.

Security boosted

Mr Lula’s 11-day-old administration is still dealing with the fallout of the riot, with security boosted in Brasilia on Wednesday as Bolsonaro supporters continued their calls for fresh anti-government protests.

In an invitation posted on social media, Bolsonaro backers were urged to turn out in Brasilia and other cities in a country left deeply divided by October elections in which leftist Mr Lula narrowly beat far-right Mr Bolsonaro.

Demonstrations called for several cities on Wednesday evening were slow to get started, however, with officers in anti-riot gear and helicopter backup left twiddling their thumbs for what had been billed as a major mobilisation.

AFP observed virtually no turnout in Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, nothing like the “gigantic” rally promised to “take power back” from Mr Lula.

One of just two protesters in Sao Paulo, law student Luis Augusto Gomes Machado, said he answered the call “to defend free expression, which is a constitutional right”.

The 20-year-old said that though he opposed Mr Lula, he was against Sunday’s trashing of the presidency, Congress and Supreme Court in Brasilia by thousands of Bolsonaro backers.

Eager to prevent a repeat of Sunday’s riots, authorities on Wednesday blocked roads leading to the Esplanade of Ministries in the capital in anticipation of renewed unrest.

The esplanade houses all government ministries as well as the three buildings targeted in Sunday’s violent uprising.

“All the public security forces are mobilised” to protect Brasilia from a repeat, deputy justice minister Ricardo Cappelli told reporters. “There is no scenario under which the unacceptable events that occurred on the 8th (of January) will be repeated.”

Mr Lula appointed Mr Cappelli to command the Brasilia security forces after Sunday’s riots.

Ever since Mr Bolsonaro’s defeat, his most hard-core defenders have been clamouring for the military to launch a coup against Mr Lula.

And on Sunday, hundreds of protestors clad in the yellow-and-green colors of the Brazilian flag – coopted by Mr Bolsonaro and his backers as a symbol of nationalist fervor – stormed the symbolic seats of power.

Dubbed “fanatical fascists” by Mr Lula, they clashed with police, beat up journalists, and left a trail of destruction in their wake.

In scenes strongly reminiscent of the Jan 6, 2021 storming of the US Capitol, the “bolsonaristas” tore paintings and damaged furniture, broke windows and invaded the offices of judges, lawmakers and the presidency itself.

Hundreds have been arrested and Brasilia has been quiet since police on Monday rounded up the rioters who had been camped out in the capital since October.

Authorities are working to identify the organisers and financiers of the uprising.

Mr Lula, who met members of Congress in Brasilia on Wednesday, described the protesters as “a group of crazy people who do not understand that the election is over”.

On Tuesday, authorities issued arrest warrants for two former senior officials over the riots, including Mr Anderson Torres, who was Mr Bolsonaro’s justice minister.

He was fired as Brasilia security chief, along with military police chief Fabio Augusto, after Sunday’s scenes.

While Mr Augusto is reportedly already in custody, Mr Torres is expected to arrive in Brazil soon from the United States. Mr Torres is charged with “omission” of his duties and “collusion” with the protesters.

Mr Torres and Mr Bolsonaro, also in the US where he this week received medical care, have both denied any involvement in Sunday’s events.

The security forces in Brasilia have come under stinging criticism over their response to the riot. Video posted on social media showed some of them filming the violence rather than intervening to halt it.

More than 600 people out of an initial 1,500 detained following the riots remained under arrest on Tuesday. AFP, REUTERS