The coup dreamed of chaos and a GLO – 12/30/2023 – Elio Gaspari

On January 8, 2023, chaos was sought to obtain a decree to guarantee Law and Order, placing troops on the streets, under the command of a military officer. A week after Lula’s inauguration, the insurrection needed disorder, a situation that Jair Bolsonaro dreamed of several times during his four years in government.

In the messages exchanged in the days before the attacks, there was talk of roadblocks, refinery shutdowns and, finally, the “Selma Party”, with the invasion of Planalto, Congress and the Federal Supreme Court. The coup depended on the decree of the GLO.

Former vice president, general and senator-elect Hamilton Mourão said, at 5:10 pm: “I repeat that the Government of the Federal District is responsible and, if it is unable to do so, ask the federal government for a GLO decree.”

The text of the decree had been prepared at the Ministry of Defense, and the proposal was taken to Lula. He refused and, at 5:50 pm, in Araraquara (SP), he decreed federal intervention in the Security Secretariat of the Federal District.

Nobody knew for sure what was happening in Brasília. A year later, it is known that at 5:50 pm that Sunday, shock troops from the PM, police officers from the Supreme Court, the PF and Congress, with the late participation of Army personnel, had already vacated the STF and began to expel the invaders of Planalto and Congress.

The solemn memories of the anniversary should not forget the agents of the Legislative Police of Congress, the security of the Supreme Court and the part of the Brasília Police Force that was not involved in the adventure. (The PM riot police who arrived at Congress at 5pm retook the Chamber’s Green Room in just three minutes.)

The ‘Selma Party’ was on the networks

January 8 was searched by the Judiciary and investigated by Congress. The theory that there was a “security blackout” in Brasília was destroyed. Minister Alexandre de Moraes imprisoned hundreds of people who did what they shouldn’t have done. There are few, however, who were held responsible for not having done what they should have done.

At 5:53 pm the day before, a Saturday, the “Selma Party” was organized on social media, with a warning:

“The Brasília HQ is only for hosting and gathering arriving guests. [Referência ao acampamento de 3.000 pessoas montado em frente ao quartel-general do Exército.] It is there that the time and date for the Selma Festival will be agreed. The party isn’t at HQ.”

An hour later, the director of the Federal Police, Andrei Rodrigues, alerted the Minister of Justice, Flávio Dino, to the influx of bus caravans bringing protesters capable of “promoting hostile actions and damage against the buildings of the Ministries, the National Congress, the Palácio do Planalto, of the Federal Supreme Court”.

Dino alerted the governor of DF, Ibaneis Rocha. Anything. Ibaneis released the Esplanada dos Ministérios for demonstrations.

At 9:38 pm, upon learning that Flávio Dino could authorize the use of the National Force to guarantee the security of Brasília, PM Major Flávio Silvestre de Alencar, in charge of security at the Esplanada, said that he would not follow orders from the National Force. (The major was later arrested.)

A morning of warnings

At 8:56 am, on the 8th, the director of Abin, Saulo Moura da Cunha, informed General Gonçalves Dias, head of the Institutional Cabinet, that 105 buses had arrived in the city: “I think we are going to have problems”.

At that time, hundreds of messages were circulating on the networks planning the Selma Festival: “It’s general cleaning, in the three Powers”.

At 8:50 am, Abin reported that, “after a heated discussion between campers, it was decided that the protesters will march to the Esplanada at 1 pm”.

At 9:30 am a message warned: “They won’t invade anything unless it’s the right time to eat cake from Selma’s party.”

Half an hour later: “Focus, guys. Take the Praça dos Três Poderes. […] Take the STF, Planalto and Congress.”

Outside Brasília, at 10 am, there had already been two attempts to block access to the Henrique Lage Refinery, in São José dos Campos (SP). A hundred protesters were in front of the gate of the Alberto Pasqualini refinery, in Canoas (RS).

General Gonçalves Dias, head of the GSI, told Congress’s CPI that on the morning of the 8th he had not received any report from Abin. So, being Sunday, he stayed at home. At 12:30 pm, the Planalto was garrisoned by 133 soldiers.

As announced, at 1 pm, the march left the camp in front of the Army HQ.
Shortly after, the penny dropped at Abin, and its director feared that something “just like Trump’s gang” would happen.

1:23 pm: the wonder march

At 1:23 pm, the DF Security Secretary informed the governor that “everything was calm […] very mild […] soft […] no reports of aggression.” Six minutes later, Ibaneis replied: “Wonderful.”

At that point, the head of Supreme Security, who was on duty, asked Minister Rosa Weber to call Ibaneis from her home. She didn’t have the number, but called Flávio Dino, who promised action.

In a synchronized operation, the “peaceful and orderly” march was divided. Between 2:45 pm and 3:40 pm, he broke through the barriers of Congress, Planalto and the Supreme Court.

Thanks to the action of the Legislative Police, the invaders did not enter the Chamber plenary. Thanks to lenient PM troops, the invasion arrived at the Green Room at 3:15 pm.

The feast lasted about two hours

When Planalto was invaded, three generals and at least three colonels were in the building. (Gonçalves Dias had arrived after 2:50 p.m.) The sergeant in charge of security at the facilities told the CPI that he was ordered “to retreat to preserve the physical integrity of the agents.”

The CPI summarized the palace episode: “These were not ‘shameful failures’ or ‘evaluation errors’ committed by members of the GSI […] but rather premeditated omission of said agents”.

The feast lasted about two hours. At Congress, they arrived at the Green Room. In the Supreme Court, they barbarized the plenary. In Planalto, they destroyed furniture. Dom João 6º’s French clock was knocked down at 3:33 pm, put back in place at 3:43 pm and knocked down again at 4:12 pm.

It was only at 4:40 pm that the Planalto troops began to vacate the invaded floors. Twenty minutes later, the PM’s shock concluded the retaking of the palace.

At 5pm, two hours after being requested, a new PM troop retook the Chamber’s Green Room.

The STF, the most unguarded of the Powers, was retaken at 5pm by its police, reinforced by the PM and PF. (Among those arrested was an outsourced court security guard who had finished his shift hours earlier.)

When Lula turned the tide by disrupting the GLO, the three invaded buildings were already being retaken. This was not the work of notables, but of employees and part of the Brasília Military Police troops.

Political peace may recommend not picking at wounds, but when January 8th becomes an anniversary, failing to remember them is more than an injustice, it is a stimulus for those who remained on the fence, without hearing or seeing what was happening.