SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
A supporter of the former Brazilian president Luis Inacio Lula da Silva holds a flag during a national strike protest called by unions and students against the Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's pension reform in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 14, 2019. (Photo: Mauro Pimentel/AFP/Getty Images)
'An Extraordinary Day': Brazilian Leftist Leader Lula Freed From Prison
"An extraordinary day in Brazil—for the world, given Lula's stature."
Nov 07, 2019
Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, known as Lula, was freed from prison Friday after a year-and-a-half behind bars due to a politically motivated prosecution from the country's right-wing government.
A large crowd, most decked in Workers' Party red, gathered to welcome Lula back to freedom.
"You don't know how much you represent me," the former Brazilian president told the throng of supporters.
\u201c@LulaOficial: thanks all of his supporters for coming every day to wish him good mornings and cheer him up with massive demonstrations. He also thanks all the political organizations that worked in the campaign for his liberation. "You don't know how much you represent for me"\u201d— teleSUR English (@teleSUR English) 1573247187
"An extraordinary day in Brazil," The Intercept's Glenn Greenwald tweeted, "for the world, given Lula's stature."
\u201chttps://t.co/A8OkhnMqct\u201d— Glenn Greenwald (@Glenn Greenwald) 1573241213
"It's an emotional day," Greenwald added.
"Wow!" Greenwald's Intercept colleague, writer Naomi Klein, replied. "This is big."
For his part, Lula tweeted a video of himself working out, saying "Lula Livre."
\u201cThis Tweet from @LulaOficial has been withheld in response to a report from the copyright holder. Learn more.\u201d— gui (@gui) 1573241743
Lula was imprisoned in April 2018 after a series of events that The Associated Press described as part of a plot by Brazil's right-wing to seize power:
Da Silva's hand-picked successor, Dilma Rousseff, was impeached and removed from office in 2016. Then Da Silva was jailed in April 2018 after a group of judges upheld his conviction for corruption and money laundering. That left his leftist Workers' Party rudderless, and it was further demoralized when routed in the 2018 general elections.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is running for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president, called for Lula's release from prison in June and remains the only 2020 presidential candidate to do so. Sanders tweeted Friday that he was "delighted" Lula was free," calling the Brazilian leader's imprisonment "something that never should have happened in the first place."
\u201cAs President, Lula has done more than anyone to lower poverty in Brazil and to stand up for workers. I am delighted that he has been released from jail, something that never should have happened in the first place.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1573248923
In his remarks to the crowd, Lula repeatedly returned to a message of unity.
"They did not imprison a man," said Lula. "They wanted to kill an idea. And ideas are not killed."
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, known as Lula, was freed from prison Friday after a year-and-a-half behind bars due to a politically motivated prosecution from the country's right-wing government.
A large crowd, most decked in Workers' Party red, gathered to welcome Lula back to freedom.
"You don't know how much you represent me," the former Brazilian president told the throng of supporters.
\u201c@LulaOficial: thanks all of his supporters for coming every day to wish him good mornings and cheer him up with massive demonstrations. He also thanks all the political organizations that worked in the campaign for his liberation. "You don't know how much you represent for me"\u201d— teleSUR English (@teleSUR English) 1573247187
"An extraordinary day in Brazil," The Intercept's Glenn Greenwald tweeted, "for the world, given Lula's stature."
\u201chttps://t.co/A8OkhnMqct\u201d— Glenn Greenwald (@Glenn Greenwald) 1573241213
"It's an emotional day," Greenwald added.
"Wow!" Greenwald's Intercept colleague, writer Naomi Klein, replied. "This is big."
For his part, Lula tweeted a video of himself working out, saying "Lula Livre."
\u201cThis Tweet from @LulaOficial has been withheld in response to a report from the copyright holder. Learn more.\u201d— gui (@gui) 1573241743
Lula was imprisoned in April 2018 after a series of events that The Associated Press described as part of a plot by Brazil's right-wing to seize power:
Da Silva's hand-picked successor, Dilma Rousseff, was impeached and removed from office in 2016. Then Da Silva was jailed in April 2018 after a group of judges upheld his conviction for corruption and money laundering. That left his leftist Workers' Party rudderless, and it was further demoralized when routed in the 2018 general elections.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is running for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president, called for Lula's release from prison in June and remains the only 2020 presidential candidate to do so. Sanders tweeted Friday that he was "delighted" Lula was free," calling the Brazilian leader's imprisonment "something that never should have happened in the first place."
\u201cAs President, Lula has done more than anyone to lower poverty in Brazil and to stand up for workers. I am delighted that he has been released from jail, something that never should have happened in the first place.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1573248923
In his remarks to the crowd, Lula repeatedly returned to a message of unity.
"They did not imprison a man," said Lula. "They wanted to kill an idea. And ideas are not killed."
Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, known as Lula, was freed from prison Friday after a year-and-a-half behind bars due to a politically motivated prosecution from the country's right-wing government.
A large crowd, most decked in Workers' Party red, gathered to welcome Lula back to freedom.
"You don't know how much you represent me," the former Brazilian president told the throng of supporters.
\u201c@LulaOficial: thanks all of his supporters for coming every day to wish him good mornings and cheer him up with massive demonstrations. He also thanks all the political organizations that worked in the campaign for his liberation. "You don't know how much you represent for me"\u201d— teleSUR English (@teleSUR English) 1573247187
"An extraordinary day in Brazil," The Intercept's Glenn Greenwald tweeted, "for the world, given Lula's stature."
\u201chttps://t.co/A8OkhnMqct\u201d— Glenn Greenwald (@Glenn Greenwald) 1573241213
"It's an emotional day," Greenwald added.
"Wow!" Greenwald's Intercept colleague, writer Naomi Klein, replied. "This is big."
For his part, Lula tweeted a video of himself working out, saying "Lula Livre."
\u201cThis Tweet from @LulaOficial has been withheld in response to a report from the copyright holder. Learn more.\u201d— gui (@gui) 1573241743
Lula was imprisoned in April 2018 after a series of events that The Associated Press described as part of a plot by Brazil's right-wing to seize power:
Da Silva's hand-picked successor, Dilma Rousseff, was impeached and removed from office in 2016. Then Da Silva was jailed in April 2018 after a group of judges upheld his conviction for corruption and money laundering. That left his leftist Workers' Party rudderless, and it was further demoralized when routed in the 2018 general elections.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is running for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president, called for Lula's release from prison in June and remains the only 2020 presidential candidate to do so. Sanders tweeted Friday that he was "delighted" Lula was free," calling the Brazilian leader's imprisonment "something that never should have happened in the first place."
\u201cAs President, Lula has done more than anyone to lower poverty in Brazil and to stand up for workers. I am delighted that he has been released from jail, something that never should have happened in the first place.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1573248923
In his remarks to the crowd, Lula repeatedly returned to a message of unity.
"They did not imprison a man," said Lula. "They wanted to kill an idea. And ideas are not killed."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.