The government of Saint. Vincent and the Grenadines condemns unequivocally the bombarding on 8th January, 2023, of the physical facilities of the democratic institutions of the National Congress and the Supreme Court of Brazil by the forces of fascism and barbarism allied to the former President Jair Bolsonaro who was defeated in the recent presidential elections by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

It is fast becoming the norm for defeated candidates and political parties in tandem with desperate allies to seek the overturn of democratic, free and fair, elections by unconstitutional means or by weaponising the law and legal system through bogus, unsubstantiated claims of electoral malfeasance. Indeed, street “warfare” is invariably accompanied, quite cynically, by “lawfare”. In our hemisphere this dastardly twin-approach has been employed by defeated parties and candidates. Examples abound in the USA, Bolivia, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Guyana, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and now, Brazil. The Trumpian variant of this political virus has become truly malignant in its spread, in the tropics. Those who are defeated in democratic elections must, in Caribbean parlance, “take your licks like a man”. All those of democratic temper are obliged to confront, and push back, against these undemocratic forces masquerading as “democratic”.

The government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is fully supportive of President Lula and the democratic institutions in Brazil in their efforts to bring the law-breakers to justice. It is our elemental duty to do so!