By Annaís Berlim, Brazil Matters
The 2023 Annual Report of the Brazilian Public Security Forum, published at the end of July, included, in addition to all the public security issues covered in the report, the frightening data on violence against women and girls in 2022, Bolsonaro’s last year in office.
Continue reading “The disturbing rise of violence against women and children under Bolsonaro – Brazil Matters”By Julia Felmanas, PT Londres
Lula came into government, after four years of Bolsonaro, with huge devastation of the Amazon forest and one of the highest deaths rates due to covid, there was almost euphoria over his victory in Brazil and abroad. Lula won the election by the smallest of margins – 50.9%.
The election aftermath brought with it riots in Brasília and Bolsonaro’s supporters camped outside military barracks in all parts of the country. Despite this, Lula’s inauguration ran peacefully. However, a week later, on 8th January, Brazil had its equivalent of the “storming of the Capitol” with mobs attacking Brasília’s Praça dos Três Poderes. Protesters entered and looted all three State buildings: the Presidential Palace, Congress and the Supreme Court.
Continue reading “The economic and environmental achievements of Lula’s Government are cause for celebration”By the Brazil Solidarity Initiative
Today marked Lula’s 100th day in Government and while we celebrate the initial successes in reversing Bolsonaro’s reactionary agenda, there are still huge challenges ahead. The far-right retain power in the National Congress with the ability to block progressive policies, and Bolsonaro and his supporters are still presenting a threat to Brazilian democracy.
Brazil Solidarity Initiative Coordinator Patrick Foley sat down with Julia Felmanas, Coordinator of the PT (Brazilian Workers’ Party) Londres to discuss Julia’s experience at Lula’s inauguration in Brasilia, the January 8th attack on Brazil’s democratic institutions, and the successes and challenges Lula has faced reversing Bolsonaro’s far-right program for public health, the environment, social welfare and more. Watch it here.
Continue reading “100 days of Lula’s Government – watch our interview with Julia Felmanas, PT London”By Tim Young
It’s one hundred days since Lula da Silva took office as president of Brazil, having defeated extreme right winger Jair Bolsonaro at the polls in October 2022.
Lula’s victory was relatively narrow, winning on the second round by 51 to 49 per cent, in an election revealing the deep divisions that Bolsonaro’s increasingly autocratic rule had fostered in Brazil during his tenure. But Bolsonaro-supporting parties won the largest bloc of seats in Congress, making the Right a significant obstacle to structural change. Supporters of Bolsonaro supporters also won the Governships of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Minas Gerais, the three wealthiest states in Brazil.
Continue reading “Lula’s first 100 days in office”With the re-election of the Lula, the Workers Party (PT) and, the broader left to power in Brazil, Logan Williams examine a cornerstone of Lula’s progressive policy – reform to the Brazilian education system.
The merits of the Brazilian system under the previous PT governments are plain to see through the country having one of the most inclusive curriculums in Latin America out of respect of the various indigenous populations across Brazil. In order to understand the progress made by the current Brazilian education system, it is necessary to examine both its historic foundations and the reality of education following the re-election of Lula.
Continue reading “After four years of Bolsonaro’s aggressive agenda, education is a key battleground for President Lula in Brazil”By Patrick Foley, Brazil Solidarity Initiative
On January 8th, a mob of far-right protesters stormed the Brazilian capital attacking Brazil’s Congress, Supreme Court, and Presidential Palace. Supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who still refuse to accept the election result, laid waste to the offices, artwork and the buildings themselves while carrying banners and placards calling on the military to carry out a coup.
Brazil’s history has many examples of military coups and coup-attempts, with Latin America’s most populous country only returning to democracy in 1985, twenty-one years after the military coup against President João Goulart.
This context is an important factor when assessing the January 8th attack – this was an assault on democracy itself, and these acts of violence, intimidation and vandalism were aimed at undermining President Lula da Silva’s newly elected Government.
Continue reading “The far-right attack on Brazil’s democratic institutions was a warning sign – international solidarity with Lula is crucial”By Dr Francsico Dominguez
On 8th January 2023, a week after Lula’s presidential inauguration, the world was shocked by a Trump-style mob attack on key state institutions in Brasilia, the country’s capital city. The world saw media images of thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invading Planalto (presidential palace), and the premises of both the Supreme Court and Parliament, who, when inside proceeded to vandalise just about everything within their reach whilst taking selfies of themselves.
It was a Bolsonarista insurrection aimed at not recognising Lula’s victory and keeping Jair Bolsonaro in power. Flavio Dino, Lula’s minister of justice, reported that Bolsonaristas had perpetrated similar acts of vandalism in at least ten states.
Former president Jair Bolsonaro, who refused to recognise his electoral defeat against Workers’ Party (PT) candidate, Inazio Lula da Silva on 31st October 2022, had conveniently traveled to Florida (30th December 2022) ostensibly not to be present at Lula’s inauguration but most probably not to be directly associated with the 8th January coup attempt if it failed.
Continue reading “Lula’s robust reassertion of democracy, social progress and the rule of law in Brazil”By Patrick Foley, Brazil Solidarity Initiative
On January 8th, we saw a shocking far-right attack on Brazil’s democratic institutions. The attack was carried out by supporters of Bolsonaro who refuse to accept the election result.
This was a clear attempt to undermine President Lula’s newly elected government and disrupt democracy through violence, intimidation and vandalism. It’s crucial that we show our international support for the democratic will of the Brazilian people.
Brazil Solidarity Initiative Chair Richard Burgon MP has launched an Early Day Motion condemning the attack and showing solidarity with President Lula – please take 2 minutes to lobby your MP to sign!
Continue reading “Ask your MP to show support for democracy after the far-right attack on Brazil’s democratic institutions”The Brazil Solidarity Initiative condemns the attack on the Brazilian Congress, Supreme Court, and Presidential Palace which was carried out on Sunday 8th January by supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who refuse to accept his recent election defeat.
The far-right attack was a clear attempt to undermine Lula da Silva’s newly elected Government and disrupt democracy through violence, intimidation and vandalism.
This action echoes the disturbing rise of political violence towards Lula’s supporters and Brazilian Workers Party (PT) officials in the run up to the Presidential election.
We give our solidarity to all Brazilians standing in defence of democracy and join the call for justice and vigilance against further far-right attacks. Lula’s administration must be allowed to govern without fear of violence, any further attacks on democracy must be challenged and condemned internationally.
By the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)
Supporters of defeated President Jair Bolsonaro, who left the country prior to the inauguration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, were behind the attacks, with some elements in the security forces standing by and even encouraging rioters.
President Lula has condemned the “incompetence, bad faith or malice” of those elements of the security forces, and a Supreme Court Justice has placed Ibaneis Rocha, the pro-Bolsonaro regional governor responsible for the capital district, under a 90-day suspension.
Continue reading “ITUC condemns extreme right attack in Brazil”
Brazil Solidarity Initiative 