Brazil’s president appealed to the union of all Brazilians, guaranteeing that the country’s Independence Day, which is celebrated on Thursday, “will not be a day of hatred or fear.”
In a recorded message marking the 201st anniversary of the country’s independence, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated that “Brazil’s independence is not over yet”.
“It must be built every day by all of us on three great foundations: democracy, sovereignty and unity”emphasized the Brazilian head of state on Wednesday.
The anniversary of independence “will not be a day of hatred or fear, but of unity,” continued Lula da Silva, who outlined in his speech what he called the achievements his government has made since taking office on January 1, succeeding Jair. Bolsonaro.
Lula da Silva also said that Brazilians “can have different accents, encourage ‘teams’ [clubes de futebol] being different, following different religions, having a preference for this or that candidate,” but all belonging to the same nation.
Last year, September 7 was used by then Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro as a rally and demonstration of power by his supporters, who took to the streets in support of the former reserve captain, at a ceremony attended by the presence of the heads of state of Portugal, Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau.
Already two years ago, in commemoration of that date, Bolsonaro said he would not respect the judicial decisions of Supreme Court Justice Alexandre Moraes, in a protest in front of thousands of supporters. That day, his supporters took to the streets to defend the dissolution of the federal Supreme Court and parliament through a “military intervention” while Bolsonaro was in power.
A day later, groups of truck drivers supporting Bolsonaro blocked roads in several states of the country and demanded the resignation of Supreme Court judges.
Brasília is on high alert on Thursday and has a record-breaking security plan ahead of Brazil’s 201st anniversary of independence, authorities have said.
In total, there will be 2,000 soldiers from the Military Police of the Federal District of specialized units, such as the Cavalry and the Battalion of Special Police Operations, and about 500 police officers from the Federal District (DF), of which, at the request of the local authorities, the National Security Force, to enhance security during the September 7 parade.
According to the DF State Secretariat for Public Security, the police force will be larger than last year and larger than when Lula da Silva took office on January 1, to “ensure public order, the safety of participants, public buildings and authorities present at the event.” to maintain. “.
The Esplanada dos Ministérios, the avenue that houses all the ministries and culminates in the Square of the Three Powers (Palácio do Planalto, National Congress and Supreme Federal Court), was closed to traffic at 9 p.m. (1 a.m.) on Wednesday. next Thursday – Feira in Lisbon) and the access of the approximately 30,000 people expected to take place for the celebrations will ensure police checkpoints dotted around the boulevard.
The DF authorities are determined to avoid a repeat of the events of January 8, when thousands of radicals linked to the Brazilian far right, many of them camped for months in front of the headquarters in Brasilia, attacked the headquarters of the three powers in Brasilia. on the eighth day of Lula da Silva’s presidency, with the aim of removing him from power.
Source: DN
