Bulletin 108 – People’s Committee in Defense of Lula and Democracy
Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil – 6/6/2018 – 11:13 PM
1. At the location that served as the stage for the MST’s first national Congress in 1985, the 17th Agroecological Journey returned to put downtown Curitiba at center stage for the struggle for the causes of the countryside during its opening today. The event, which will continue until Saturday, June 9th, is among the largest of its kind in Brazil and is organized by over 40 social movements and entities in Paraná. Robert Baggio, the coordinator of the Journey, made a point of inviting the participants to shout, “Good night, President Lula!”. During the 1985 Congress, which Lula participated in, the activists said that there would be no democracy without agrarian reform. “Today we have to battle for both democracy and agrarian reform,” said Baggio.
2. On Thursday, June 7th, the “good morning President Lula” yell will include Jaques Wagner, the ex-Governor of Bahia and former Chief of Staff for President Dilma. During the afternoon, starting at 4 PM, Wagner and the governor of Piauí, Wellington Dias, will visit the ex-President and, afterwords, will pass a message from Lula to the #LulaLivre Vigil. These acts will be broadcast live on the Facebook pages of PT, PT Paraná, Casa da Democracia and the Lula Livre Vigil.
3. On Friday, June 8th, there will be a national act for the launching of Lula’s pre-candidacy for the presidency. At this moment, it will be possible to make financial contributions to the campaign through an online platform. Individuals can make donations between R$10 and R$1064 per day. Contributing to Lula’s pre-campaign means helping rebuild the country with jobs, social inclusion, growth and opportunities for all. It represents hope for a Nation that will make Brazilians proud and earn the admiration of the entire world. Donate online here: https://www.lula.com.br/doe/
4. The Argentinian architect and activist Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, 86, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1980, reiterated his criticism of ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva today. In Rome, at an UN FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) event, he reaffirmed that this September he will present Lula’s candidacy for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize. The campaign, launched by Esquivel in April on the change.org site, has already gathered 309,000 signatures. “Lula lifted over 36 million people out of poverty. What Lula did was unique in history,” he said.
5. This evening social movements connected to the housing rights struggle held a #LulaLivre demonstration in front of the Federal Supreme Court headquarters in Brasilia as part of their March for the Right to the City, which ends on Thursday, June 7th. Hundreds of activists demanded freedom for Lula, who is being held as a political prisoner in Curitiba. During the protest, there was no lack of criticism of the Supreme Court for deciding to maintain Lula prisoner, without proof, while freeing various other politicians accused of corruption with ample material evidence proving their crimes. Several PT Congressmen also participated in the protest.
Bulletin 108 – People’s Committee in Defense of Lula and Democracy
Curitiba – 6/6/2018 – 11:13 PM
