At least 12 journalists were attacked when supporters of Brazil’s former leader Jair Bolsonaro stormed major government buildings in the capital Brasilia on Sunday, according to the Union of Professional Journalists in the Federal District.
The union condemned the violence against members of the press which “prevented them from carrying out their work safely,” it said in a statement Monday.
Earlier, the Brazilian Investigative Journalism Association (ABRAJI) reported that journalists had been physically attacked and said some reporters also had their equipment stolen by Bolsonaro supporters.
Among them was a photographer who was assaulted by protesters shouting they would “take over Brazil,” the statement from ABRAJI said.
ABRAJI recorded 77 attacks of political violence against the media in the country in the past two years “without the government and security forces taking adequate measures” to address violence by far-right groups, the statement added.
This post has been updated to reflect the latest figures.