Brazil's left-wingers under persecution, former president Lula says

Former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Friday (July 24) that Brazil's left-wingers have been under persecution and compared them to the Jews in World War II and early Christians under Rome. He criticized sectors in the country who struggle with accepting the ballot victory of his fellow Workers' Party successor, Dilma Rousseff: “It's the first time I've ever seen people who call themselves democrats refuse to accept an election that saw a woman president.”

“Let me tell you how sick I am of lies and sleaze, of this hostility toward the first woman ever to rule this country. I'm sick of the harassing and accusing way they're treating left-wingers. It's like the Nazi propaganda against the Jews, or the Romans against Christians,” Lula said in his address as a guest speaker at a trade union event.

The former president extolled the achievements of his and Rousseff's administrations, including the entry of thousands of students into higher education and the millions of people climbing the social ladder. “They hate to see that a nearly illiterate metal worker is putting more people in higher education than they have,” he said.

Lula went on to say he was optimistic about Brazil's future and said he understands the concern among sections of the population about unemployment and inflation, but pointed out that things used to be worse.

“Inflation is 9% and is likely to go down. When I took over the reins, inflation was 12%, unemployment was 12%. We're not burying a kid just because of a fever,” he said.
 

Translated by Mayra Borges