‘Stay alive’: Brazil’s Indigenous people mobilize to vote for Lula to protect their rights
“It’s such a simple phrase: stay alive! The other side is necropolitics.” This appeal was made by philosopher and prominent Indigenous leader Ailton Krenak to Brazilians to reelect President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva over far-right candidate, senator Flávio Bolsonaro. Flávio’s statement that he will not demarcate any Indigenous lands “reveals his malicious intent to […]
Brazilians from Indigenous communities are rallying to cast their vote for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the upcoming runoff election, in an effort to safeguard their rights and lands. A protestor, Ailton Krenak, a prominent Indigenous leader, urged Brazilians to choose Lula over far-right candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, emphasizing that Bolsonaro's stance on Indigenous lands would threaten the survival of Indigenous peoples.
Krenak's statement drew a parallel between Bolsonaro's father, former President Jair Bolsonaro (2019–2022), and his own candidate's plans.
Indigenous people have taken to social media and the streets to highlight the potential dangers that a Bolsonaro victory would bring to their rights and the environment. Pro-Lula posts on social networking platforms, such as Instagram and those of the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (Apib), have called for a national mobilization on October 18 and a subsequent one on October 21.
The protests have garnered thousands of Indigenous participants, with artists staging a rally in Rio de Janeiro that drew over 50,000 supporters. This surge in support followed Lula's narrow loss in the first round of voting on October 4, which defied polls predicting his victory.
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