Some 400 people warned this Saturday, in a demonstration in Paris, of the dangers of a second term for Jair Bolsonaro, defending the vote for Lula da Silva, to restore human rights and resume social progress in Brazil.
“I am here for the Brazilian people, everything that we started to build in Brazil in terms of public policies with Lula, things were progressing and we went back to the 80s with Bolsonaro. In everything, human rights, women’s rights, children’s rights, we were examples to the world and we are losing everything,” she told Agência Lusa Anita, a Brazilian from Rio Grande do Sul who has lived in Paris for four years.
Anita was present at the Place Nation demonstration, along with hundreds of Brazilians who, animated to the rhythm of the samba, shouted “Fora Bolsonaro” and “Olé, olé, olá, Lula.” For those who came here, the election in the second round that takes place on October 30 is obvious, for all the reasons.
“I am from the PT and from Lula, but the situation goes beyond politics, it is also a question of the survival of democracy in Brazil. We are talking about a dangerous person who cannot stay in government for four more years,” said Fátima.
Based in France for 27 years, this Brazilian settled in the Parisian region explained that she saw the image of her country deteriorate after Jair Bolsonaro came to power in 2019.
“Brazil’s image has deteriorated a lot, at the time of the Lula years there is a difference because people here wanted to start learning Portuguese, not to live as a foreigner there, but to invest and work for real. What I see in the French now it is perplexity”, described Fátima.
The demonstration was organized by the Solidarité Brésil coalition, made up of various Brazilian and French associations, which are concerned about the possibility of a Jair Bolsonaro victory on the other side of the Atlantic.
“Brazil is now seen as a worrying country for various reasons. First of all, because the Amazon is in Brazil, there is a diverse population in Brazil that has been under attack for four years. Therefore, the perception is that the situation in Brazil has gotten much worse, endangering the rest of the world, because the Amazon is reaching a point of no return,” said Glauber Sezerino, who is part of the Autres Brésils association.
In recent years, Glauber Sezerino, who has lived in France since 2008, has seen an increase in the number of Brazilians seeking the country to escape the current situation in Brazil.
“There are many people who left, especially those who were able to leave. Those who managed to study abroad came, those who managed to relocate at work as well. But there is a whole population that cannot leave. In 2008 there were about 14,000 voters in France, today we have 22,000, the number has almost doubled,” he explained.
France was the country where Brazilians abroad voted the most for Lula da Silva in the first round of the elections, with 77.5% of nationals who voted in Paris choosing the former PT president. Thus, a scenario of re-election of Jair Bolsonaro seems “unthinkable” for French and Brazilians.
“It is unthinkable that Brazil does not return in a few days to the path of democracy, ecology, social progress, the pure and simple respect that we owe each other. We will try as much as possible to help them,” Emmanuel said. Gregoire, deputy councilor of the Chamber of Paris, who was also present at the demonstration.
Lula da Silva is an honorary citizen of Paris and received political support from socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo during his years in prison. Before officially launching his candidacy, Lula da Silva was in France where he met with various political figures, but also with various economic actors and French companies.
Source: TSF
