Radical socialist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil opened the United Nations General Assembly’s annual “high-level debate” on Tuesday by warning the international globalist coalition that their values were “under threat as never before” and repeatedly condemned, without naming him, President Donald Trump’s foreign policy.
Lula’s speech directly addressed “attacks on sovereignty, arbitrary sanctions, and unilateral interventions,” apparent references to the Trump administration imposing a 50-percent tariff on Brazilian goods and sanctioning the most powerful judge in the country, Supreme Federal Tribunal (STF) Justice Alexandre de Moraes, for his persecution of conservatives in the country.
Lula also celebrated that Brazil recently convicted his predecessor, former President Jair Bolsonaro, on vague charges of staging a coup and sentenced him to 27 years in prison, calling Brazil an example for the world.
Brazil is traditionally the first country to speak at the United Nations as a result of the Brazilian delegation taking on the responsibility of opening the first-ever high-level debate in the aftermath of World War II.
“A former head of state was convicted of attacking the democratic rule of law,” he told the audience, referring to Bolsonaro. “He was investigated, indicted, tried, and held accountable for his actions in a meticulous process.”
“He had the right to defend himself, a prerogative that dictatorships deny to their victims. Before the eyes of the world, Brazil sent a message to all aspiring autocrats and those who support them: our democracy, our sovereignty, are non-negotiable.”
In reality, Lula – who at 79 years old is serving his third term in office – and his allies on the STF have launched a barrage of attacks on conservative voices in the country beyond Bolsonaro, although the former president has faced the most formidable. The STF, with Lula’s enthusiastic support, charged Bolsonaro with “crimes against democracy” for allegedly trying to poison Lula – a claim it presented no concrete evidence for – and playing a role in the January 8, 2023, riot in Brasilia. The riot occurred while Bolsonaro was in the United States; the court did not present direct evidence of involvement of the president, only statements he made publicly challenging the integrity of the election. During the 2022 race, the Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE), the electoral oversight wing of the STF, banned the media and the Bolsonaro campaign from calling Lula a “thief” or “criminal” publicly, effectively making it impossible to remind voters that he was convicted multiple times of corrupt acts during his previous terms in office. The TSE did not, however, silence Lula’s spurious attacks calling Bolsonaro a “pedophile” and a “cannibal.”
Bolsonaro, 70, was sentenced this month to 27 years in prison for the alleged “coup.” In addition, he has faced legal attacks accusing him of falsifying coronavirus vaccination cards, illicitly selling Saudi jewels, and, most recently, a fine for “recreational racism.”
On the United Nations stage Lula defended the silencing of conservatives.
“Authoritarianism is strengthened when we fail to act in the face of arbitrary acts,” he claimed. “When international society falters in defending peace, sovereignty, and the rule of law, the consequences are tragic throughout the world.”
“Anti-democratic forces are trying to subjugate institutions and stifle freedoms. They worship violence, praise ignorance, act as physical and digital militias, and restrict the press. Even under an unprecedented attack, Brazil chose to resist and defend its democracy,” he claimed.
In response to the persecution of Bolsonaro and a long list of violent police raids against conservative lawmakers, online commentators, journalists, and others, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on Brazil in July. Trump declared Brazil, a traditionally friendly country, a “national security threat” and imposed a 50-percent tariff on Brazilian goods entering the United States. The Trump administration has also repeatedly sanctioned de Moraes, the justice in charge of the “fake news” probes used to silence conservatives, most recently on Monday evening.
Lula did not address Trump by name during his speech, but made clear his revulsion at the sanctions.
“There is no justification for unilateral and arbitrary measures against our institutions and our economy. The aggression against the independence of the judiciary branch of power is unacceptable,” Lula declared. “This interference in domestic affairs, as aided by a subservient far right who is nostalgic of past hegemonies [and] false patriots, plan and publicly promote actions against Brazil. This cannot be achieved with impunity.”
Lula also appeared to demand that the World Trade Organization (WTO) act against Trump.
“Unilateral measures have rendered fundamental principles such as the most-favored-nations clauses meaningless. They have disrupted value [sic, translator probably meant supply] chains and thrown the global economy into a pernicious cycle of high prices and stagnations,” Lula asserted. “It is urgent to refound the WTO based on modern and flexible foundations.”
Lula also used his platform to defend socialist Venezuela and communist Cuba, as well as condemn Trump for deploying military assets to combat narco-terrorism in the Caribbean Sea. Lula argued that “crime” and “terrorism” were separate phenomena, failing to address the reality that international cocaine trafficking organizations such as the Cartel de los Soles (“Cartel of the Suns”), run through the Venezuelan armed forces, often have paramilitary components.
“The comparison between crime and terrorism is worrying. The most effective way to combat drug trafficking is to cooperate to suppress money laundering and limit arms trade,” Lula claimed. “Using lethal force in situations that do not constitute armed conflict is tantamount to executing people without trial.”
“The path to dialogue must not be closed in Venezuela, Haiti has a right to a violence-free future, and it is unacceptable that Cuba be listed as a country that sponsors terrorism,” he declared.
The Communist Party of Cuba has close ties to international terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), and is a close ally of the world’s premier state sponsor of terrorism, Iran.
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