In a message alluding to Trump, Lula da Silva warns him: “Our democracy is not for bargaining”
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva assured the UN that the trial against Bolsonaro is a message for the “autocrats” of the world
As part of the high-level speeches of the UN General Assembly, the president of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, opened with direct allusions to his counterpart from the United States, Donald Trump, which, a few weeks ago, launched an offensive of sanctions against Brazilian institutions and commercial products.
Among other statements, Lula da Silva lashed out this Tuesday at the United Nations (UN) against the “anti-democratic forces” that attack institutions and assured that Brazil sent a message to the “autocratic candidates” by condemning former President Jair Bolsonaro for coup plotting.
The Supreme Court sentenced the far-right leader to 27 years in prison this month for an attempt to cling to power after losing the elections to Lula in 2022.
The US government of Donald Trump imposed trade tariffs on Brazil and sanctions on several Brazilian officials to lobby for its ally Bolsonaro.
“All over the world, anti-democratic forces try to subjugate institutions and stifle freedoms,” said Lula in his speech before the UN General Assembly.
“Brazil sent a message to all autocratic candidates and those who support them: our democracy and our sovereignty are non-negotiable,” he said.
Furthermore, the Brazilian president took the opportunity to state his position on the war in the Middle East, stating that “nothing justifies the genocide” in the Gaza Strip.
“Absolutely nothing justifies the genocide being committed in Gaza… This massacre would not have occurred without the complicity of those who could have prevented it,” said Lula in his speech, in which he also rejected the use of starvation as a weapon of war against the Palestinian people.
The Brazilian president warned that the attacks perpetrated by the Palestinian movement Hamas are “indefensible from any perspective” and expressed his admiration for the Jews who, inside and outside Israel, oppose collective punishment against the population of Gaza.
Lula condemned the fact that hunger in Gaza is being used as a weapon of war and that the forced displacement of the population continues with "impunity."
"The Palestinian people risk disappearing. They will only survive with an independent state integrated into the international community," he emphasized.