Just over 18% of Brazilians approve of the invasion and ransacking of State institutions by supporters of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro on Sunday in Brasilia, according to a poll published on Wednesday by the Atlas Institute.
Asked whether they agreed “with the actions of the demonstrators who occupied the Congress, the Presidential Palace and the Supreme Court,” 18.4% of the respondents answered in the affirmative, 75.8% disagreed and 5.8% refrained from answering.
About 53% of respondents considered the invasion “totally unjustified”, while 27.5% considered it “partly justified” and 10.5% “totally justified”.
Just over half (50.2%) of those polled believe Bolsonaro is responsible for the riots.
The poll was conducted on Monday and Tuesday among a representative sample of 2,200 people.
On Sunday, several thousand Bolsonarists who refused to accept the return to power of left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva caused chaos in Brasilia, in the presence of a police force that was totally overwhelmed but judged complacent, even complicit, by many experts.
They invaded the most emblematic State buildings, which are very close to each other around the Three Powers Square in the heart of the futuristic capital.
Inside the buildings, the rioters destroyed everything in their path, including rare furniture and priceless works of art.
More than 750 suspects have been arrested and remanded into custody following the riots, which prompted the Brazilian authorities to impose strict security measures around State buildings.
