Lula Vows to 'Battle for Democracy' Against Bolsonaro Push to 'Destroy' Decades of Progress in Brazil

Leftist former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva declared in an exclusive interview published Friday by The Guardian that his mission now is to “battle for democracy” against the efforts of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro to “destroy” the South American country.

“Bolsonaro has already made clear what he wants for Brazil: he wants to destroy all of the democratic and social conquests from the last decades,” said Lula, as the leftist leader is globally known, in his first interview with a foreign newspaper since being released from prison two weeks ago.

“Let’s hope that Bolsonaro doesn’t destroy Brazil,” added Lula. “Let’s hope he does something good for the country… but I doubt that.”

Bolsonaro took office in January and, as Common Dreams reported, quickly got to work “introducing policies targeting the environment, Indigenous Brazilians, the LGBTQ community, and other marginalized populations, realizing the worst fears of progressives who have protested the openly misogynist, pro-torture president.”

Lula’s new interview occasionally took a global focus, such as when he called the recent forced resignation of Bolivian President Evo Morales a “coup” that “is terrible for Latin America,” but much of his commentary centered on concerns about the conditions of Brazil under Bolsonaro. As Lula said, “I regret that Brazil is becoming a country where spreading hate is becoming part of people’s daily lives.”

Bolsonaro has garnered widespread criticism not only within Brazil but far beyond its borders throughout his first year in office—particularly for the “alarmingly high” rate of deforestation in the Brazilian portion of the Amazon rainforest this year that has experts warning “we are approaching a potential tipping point, where large parts of the forest will be so damaged that it collapses.”

“Brazil’s image is negative right now. We have a president who doesn’t govern, who sits discussing fake news 24 hours a day,” said Lula. “Brazil has to have a role on the international stage.” Lula also called Bolsonaro’s “submission” to U.S. President Donald Trump “really embarrassing.”

In terms of Brazil’s 2018 election, Lula said that “no one predicted Bolsonaro’s election—not even him” and “people voted for Bolsonaro, in the main, because Lula wasn’t a candidate.” Lula was prevented from running against Bolsonaro because of what the leftist leader has condemned as politically motivated corruption charges, tied to the Operation Car Wash probe, that led to him spending 580 days behind bars.

Since June, The Intercept Brazil has published explosive reporting on a massive archive of materials exposing “highly controversial, politicized, and legally dubious internal discussions and secret actions by the Operation Car Wash anti-corruption task force of prosecutors, led by the chief prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol, along with then-Judge Sergio Moro, now [Bolsonaro’s] powerful and internationally celebrated justice minister.”