Brazil’s Lula says only he can stop rise of fascism under Bolsonaro’s son
President leads huge rally in Rio before election on Sunday seen as most important for decades The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has claimed he is the only thing standing in the way of far-right “fascists” reclaiming power, as he led a huge rally through the streets of Rio ahead of Sunday’s crunch election. Speaking on the eve of the demonstration, the 80-year-old leftwinger…
Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva claimed he is the only person capable of preventing an increase in fascist influence should his rival, Flávio Bolsonaro, win the upcoming election. Lula led a massive rally in Rio de Janeiro ahead of the election, stating that "it's either me, or it's barbarism." The 80-year-old left-wing politician argued that his candidacy is a fight for democracy, emphasizing that democracy must be preserved or it will be lost.
The rally took place between two historically significant sites, Candelária Church and Cinelândia, where large pro-democracy protests took place during Brazil's military dictatorship from 1964 to 1985. Lula urged the crowd to prevent the return of the Bolsonaro family, who he believes would work to free Jair Bolsonaro, his former adversary, from prison and undo the democratic institutions established during the post-dictatorship period.
Many Brazilians, including Lula supporters, history teachers, and artists, attended the rally, expressing their fear of a potential return to fascism if Bolsonaro were to win the election. Polls suggest a close race, with Lula holding a narrow lead, and the outcome may determine the future of Brazil's democracy for the next decade to two decades.
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