Lula’s crime was to be a worker and a popular political leader in an elitist country. The challenge for the left is to rebuild a democratic movement that will put the political system, the media, the judicial system and the state at the service of political freedom.
The trade union center CUT announced a vigil in front of the prison where Lula is being held. The resistance recognizes that the fight for Lula's freedom is central to the fight for democracy and against the neo-liberal coup taking place in Brazil.
Marielle Franco represented a progressive new left, built on advocating for Brazil’s most vulnerable citizens, making her murder doubly tragic.
Power depends on correlation of strength. The bourgeoisie and its minions use the judicial power to suit their interests as if this was a monarchy, with no oversight by society. They trampled on the Constitution in order to reach their goals. The working class has only one space where it can exert its political power: mobilization on the streets.
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Learning from the past, Brazil's landless rural workers continue their struggle for democracy and justice.
As growth slows in wealthy countries, Western food companies are aggressively expanding in developing nations, contributing to obesity and health problems.
In 2015, FIFA, the governing body of world soccer, was brought down by allegations of industrial-scale bribes, kickbacks, money laundering, racketeering and tax evasion. Its corruption extended from the decision to send the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar to cases of embezzlement worldwide. The author even interviews its bent former president Sepp Blatter.
Global capital despised Brazil's Lula and feared his return to power. In particular, the rich resented his nationalization of Brazil’s oil resources, making Petrobras the patrimony of all Brazilians. He strengthen the national bank and funded oil exploration that identified enormous oil reserves in the Atlantic off the country’ coast. Equally threatening were his efforts to establish a network of third world governments, especially in the Americas.
The ousting of President Dilma Rousseff has provided an opportunity for the proponents of neoliberalism and those who want to break union power. Most of Brazil's union centers fear that proposed government reforms will weaken unions and further the spread of subcontracting.
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