RIO DE JANEIRO, January 10. /TASS/. Supporters of Brazil's ex-President Jair Bolsonaro began dismantling a tent city in a central square in Rio de Janeiro on Monday, a TASS correspondent reports from the scene. According to the court order, the people only have 24 hours to leave Duque de Caxias Square, which they have occupied since early November.

"It's easier to order than to actually do it," a protester who identified himself as Marcelo told TASS. Being a lawyer, he considered the ruling of Supreme Federal Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes as an improper and disproportionate response to Sunday's riots in the capital city of Brasilia.

Nevertheless, the inhabitants of the spontaneous camp of Bolsonaro supporters in Rio de Janeiro hurriedly dismantled tents and removed trash. Journalists were not welcome there, and the conversations were hold in a high-pitched tone. "We haven't seen you here before, and now you're here to gloat. And, by the way, I haven’t given you permission to film me", an elderly man told reporters. A number of other like-minded people immediately come to his aid.

The protesters also warned passersby about the "red communist threat hanging over the homeland," calling Socialist President Luiz Lula da Silva a "thief." "It seems to me that there are two options left for our country: constitutional reform or civil war. I think the second one is better," Marcelo told a TASS correspondent. In his opinion, the supporters of the political left were not willing to listen to the arguments of the "conservative patriots".

Protests in Brasilia

On Sunday, supporters of ex-leader Jair Bolsonaro clashed with the police in the country’s capital and broke into the National Congress (parliament), the presidential palace and the Supreme Federal Court. The few security guards at the empty sites on Sunday were unable to rebuff the protesters who did not recognize the results of the October presidential election.

According to preliminary estimates, about 5,000 people participated in the riots. To disperse the demonstrators, security forces used smoke bombs and tear gas grenades, dropping those from a helicopter, too. Law enforcement officers have been regaining control of the buildings stormed by vandals. So far, more than 400 people have been detained for participation in the protests.

The rioters may face up to 12 years behind bars, Justice Minister Flavio Dino warned. So far, no casualties have been officially reported. Local media said that the protesters had damaged or stolen items of historical or artistic value, including paintings, statues and interior design items.

Socialist Lula da Silva, who defeated Bolsonaro in the second round of elections, took office as President of Brazil on January 1. The gap between the two was about 2 million votes. The conservative did not admit his defeat, and his supporters massively took to the streets and the garrisons of the armed forces demanding that Lula da Silva not take office. At the end of December 2022, Bolsonaro left for the United States.