'Keeping their shift together': An exploratory visual analysis of a Brazilian crowd crime.

This study analyzes videos produced and shared on social media by participants in the 8 January 2023 invasion of the Brazilian governmental buildings in Brasilia, using identity shift theory and nonverbal communication (NVC) frameworks, including Ekman's Facial Action Coding System (FACS). The research identifies a clear identity shift from individual to collective crowd identity, expressed through consistent emotional displays—primarily anger, pride, awe, and unity—across three stages of the event: the approach, gathering, and occupation of the buildings. The videos, preserved by the Brazilian fact-checking agency Lupa, reveal how emotions and gestures, such as the repeated index finger pointing, visually communicated group cohesion and political motivation among Bolsonaro supporters. The study highlights the role of social media in amplifying these emotions and facilitating public self-presentation, which reinforced the crowd's collective identity and mobilization, while also noting sympathetic behavior from some police officers. This qualitative visual analysis contributes to understanding the emotional dynamics and communication strategies underlying political crowd crimes in contemporary digital and physical contexts.