PM Modi is “Extremely Worried” About Riots in Brazil.

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The comparison was clear and had to happen. Nearly two years to the day after the riots in the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, thousands of supporters of former Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro stormed the presidential palace, apex court building, and other seats of state power in Brasilia on Sunday. Violence and destruction happened only a week after Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was sworn in as president. President Lula has promised to take action against “vandals, neo-fascists, and fanatics.” He has also put law and order in the capital under the control of the federal government. But what is at stake in Brazil is much more important than what was at stake in the US when Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the legislature and refused to accept that he had lost the election. It has lessons for democracies all over the world about what can happen when elected dictators say, do, and run for office.

Prime Minister #NarendraModi on Monday, expressed deep concerns over reports of rioting in #Brazil by supporters of former president #JairBolsonaro and asserted democratic traditions must be respected by everyone. https://t.co/PONvVG5uHG

— The Hindu (@the_hindu) January 9, 2023

Bolsonaro has always questioned the legitimacy of elections, just like Trump. Basically, if these leaders lose the election, it’s because the polls were “fixed,” but if they win, it’s a victory for the people. But putting elections into question is just the last step in the steady decline of democratic institutions, values, and principles. This starts with questioning the rightful place of the opposition in a government and even other parts of the government, like the judiciary. Often, the elected authoritarian, like Bolsonaro, draws a line between the will of the majority and the values of pluralism. This can be seen in the way that minorities, dissidents, and other people are often accused of being against the state and nation, even though they may just be asking questions about the government.

Bolsonaro has tried to distance himself from the rioters, but he hasn’t come out and said that they are bad people. This is exactly the kind of populist, majoritarian politics that has come to be known as “dog-whistle politics”—adding a wink and a nod to the foot soldiers while paying lip service to the rule of law. This kind of politics is bad for democracy. It teaches a lesson about how democracies can be hurt from the inside. How Brazil’s current government and institutions handle the situation could be used as a model or as a warning.