Photos: Riot in the heart of Brazil’s government
One plaza is home to Brazil’s three branches of government. On Sunday, far-right protesters descended.
For months, supporters of Brazil's far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro have protested his election loss in October. They've blocked roads, set cars on fire and demanded military intervention.
Bolsonaro challenged his defeat in the courts, and opted to skip his successor’s inauguration.
On Sunday, one week after President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was sworn in, the protests boiled over into riots, as Bolsonaro supporters stormed federal buildings in Brasília, the capital.
Three Powers Square in Brazil's Federal District is the heart of the country's government.
The single plaza is home to Brazil’s three branches of government: the National Congress, the Supreme Court and the presidential Planalto Palace.
On Sunday, Bolsonaro's supporters descended on the plaza, breaching all three buildings during a riot.
National Congress
The protesters, who refused to accept Bolsonaro's loss, climbed onto the roofs of the House of Representatives and Senate buildings. (Eraldo Peres / AP)
The protesters, who refused to accept Bolsonaro's loss, climbed onto the roofs of the House of Representatives and Senate buildings. (Eraldo Peres / AP)
A police vehicle crashed into a fountain. (Sergio Lima / AFP)
A police vehicle crashed into a fountain. (Sergio Lima / AFP)
Groups shouting slogans demanding intervention from the army broke through the police barrier, according to local media. (Joedson Alves / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Groups shouting slogans demanding intervention from the army broke through the police barrier, according to local media. (Joedson Alves / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Inside, rioters destroyed offices before taking to the rooftop. (Eraldo Peres / AP)
Inside, rioters destroyed offices before taking to the rooftop. (Eraldo Peres / AP)
Federal Supreme Court
Bolsonaro's supporters have been protesting since October. (Eraldo Peres / AP)
Bolsonaro's supporters have been protesting since October. (Eraldo Peres / AP)
Rioters destroyed windows and spray-painted messages before entering the Supreme Court. (Ton Molina / AFP via Getty Images)
Rioters destroyed windows and spray-painted messages before entering the Supreme Court. (Ton Molina / AFP via Getty Images)
The destruction caused inside the court building. (Sergio Lima / AFP)
The destruction caused inside the court building. (Sergio Lima / AFP)
Judiciary Police forces entered through a broken window to inspect the damage after rioters were subdued. (Carl de Souza / AFP)
Judiciary Police forces entered through a broken window to inspect the damage after rioters were subdued. (Carl de Souza / AFP)
Planalto Palace
Security forces confronted rioters at Planalto Palace, the official workplace of the president of Brazil. (Ton Molina / AFP via Getty Images)
Security forces confronted rioters at Planalto Palace, the official workplace of the president of Brazil. (Ton Molina / AFP via Getty Images)
Rioters broke windows as they stormed the building. (Sergio Lima / AFP)
Rioters broke windows as they stormed the building. (Sergio Lima / AFP)
Protesters looked out from a shattered window. (Eraldo Peres / AP)
Protesters looked out from a shattered window. (Eraldo Peres / AP)
Protesters are confronted by police in riot gear inside the Planalto Palace. (Eraldo Peres / AP)
Protesters are confronted by police in riot gear inside the Planalto Palace. (Eraldo Peres / AP)
More than 1,500 people have been detained in connection with the riots as of Monday, according to Brazil Minister of Justice Flávio Dino. Lula also authorized federal intervention in the Federal District until the end of January.