On January 8, supporters of Brazil’s far-right ex-President Jair Bolsonaro stormed the country’s Congress, Supreme Court, and presidential palace in an event that closely mirrored the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The violent attack in Brazil followed months in which right-wing supporters refused to accept Bolsonaro’s defeat to the newly inaugurated President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
American far-right media are defending the attackers and pushing conspiracy theories about the events that unfolded in Brazil’s capital. Here are a few examples:
Immediately following the attack, former Trump aide and January 6 coup plotter Steve Bannon justified the violence done by the rioters. Bannon has been committed to pushing the baseless claim that Brazil’s presidential election was rigged.
During the January 9 edition of his War Room podcast, Bannon doubled and tripled down on groundless claims of voter fraud. Bannon repeatedly called for voting machines to be opened and their contents shared with the public.
Additionally, Bannon defended the rioters, claiming that they include “evangelical Christians that are not prepared to sit there and let a atheistic, Marxist, communist criminal like Lula steal the election and steal their country.”
Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones claimed that riot may be “Ray Epps 2.0,” alluding to the conspiracy theory that government informants worked to purposefully incite rioters to storm U.S. federal buildings on January 6.
Jones also suggested there may have been “provocateurs” in the riot crowd.
On The Charlie Kirk Show, guest Matthew Tyrmand pushed a conspiracy theory that the CIA was involved with the riots.
Neo-Nazi blog Daily Stormer pushed a conspiracy theory that the attack was due to “US Jew intelligence doing a copy-paste” of the January 6 insurrection.
Conspiracy theory website The Gateway Pundit published a story that suggested there were “left-wing provocateurs” in the crowd of rioters.
White nationalist Vincent James posted a photoshopped picture of Ray Epps in a Brazil hat on his Gab feed, seemingly alluding to government involvement in the riot.
