Progressive Colonists

For John, BLUF:  I am having a hard time understanding the arrogance of NPR to think that Brazil can not create a reaction to a questionable Presidential vote on their own, without US intervention.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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The attack on Brazil's Congress was stoked by social media — and by Trump allies

From National Public Radio, by Reporters Bill Chappell, Shannon Bond and Sergio Olmos, 10 January 2023, 5:15 AM ET.

Here is the lede plus three:

Long before Sunday's shocking attack on Brazil's Congress and other government buildings, warning signs on social media pointed to possible violence by backers of former President Jair Bolsonaro — one of several important parallels with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol two years ago.

The similarities run deep: In addition to the aim of subverting an election, some of the same U.S. voices that amplified then-President Donald Trump's false claims of a stolen election before the Capitol assault have also sought to sow doubt over Bolsonaro's loss to Brazil's new president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

In the space of 24 hours over Sunday and Monday, former Trump political adviser Steve Bannon said no fewer than 10 times on the right-wing social media platform Gettr that Lula "stole the election."  When he shared images from Brasilia on Sunday showing the houses of Brazil's democracy under attack, Bannon labeled the insurrectionists "freedom fighters."

Since before the October election, Bannon has been hosting guests on his popular podcast warning about fraud in Brazil and promoting accusations that voting had been compromised.

Their main point of attack is Mr Steve Bannon, but President Trump has been pulled into this argument that the US is responsible for the riots and unrest in Brazilia, the National Capitol of Brazil, over the election of Lula da Silva over Jair Bolsonaro.

Here is a comment from the author:

“You know what’s Trump’s fault?  The violent protests in Brazil, where they do political violence with the same enthusiasm and frequency as they play soccer.”

I think that sums it up.  Brazil, with a populationo of 217 million people, seems quite capable of creating its own political theater, without help from other quarters.

What we are seeing here is NPR repoorters writing in a racist way, assuming that a nation with a majroity non-Caucasian population is not capable of conducting its own revolutions, coups and counter-coups.  That is pretty petty on their part, and racist  Or perhaps they have prejudged former President Donald Trump and want him in jail and will hang whatever they can on him to make it happen.  What happened to innocent until proven guilty?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff