by Jaqueline Deister
Alongside political allies, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva delivered a speech on São Paulo’s Paulista Avenue to more than a million people who packed the streets this Sunday, October 11.
Seeking re-election, Lula highlighted the power of the youth in mobilizing both online and offline, and emphasized the importance of young people participating in politics to ensure dignity and rights.
“This event is a lesson,” he said. “Either you participate in political life, or it cannot be fixed. You must take responsibility to join the fight while you are young. This country cannot lose its democracy, however flawed it may be.”
More than a million people pack Avenida Paulista in support of President Lula (Ricardo Stuckert)
700,000 Deaths
Lula also recalled the actions of Jair Bolsonaro’s government during the COVID-19 pandemic. The president criticized the denialism and lack of humanity he attributed to Bolsonaro during the health crisis, which claimed the lives of over 700,000 people in Brazil, according to Ministry of Health data.
“Do you know what it’s like for a president to laugh at people who were dying of asphyxiation due to a lack of oxygen?” He asked. “Did you see how many people were buried in black bags without being able to say goodbye to their families because we had an irresponsible president who doubted science and medicine? Who prescribed medication that was completely useless!”
The rally on Paulista Avenue brought together thousands of young people in defense of democracy (Caroline Apple/BdF)
The tweet reads: “What began as a spontaneous mobilization by supporters turned into the largest campaign act! Let’s go Lula!”
Winning votes
During the speech, Lula highlighted the importance of voter participation in the runoff election, scheduled for October 25.
The president mentioned the number of abstentions in the first round and stressed the need to talk to the elderly about the importance of voting.
“More than 30 million people did not vote,” he said. “Many people over the age of 70 did not vote because the law does not require them to do so. We need to talk to people between the ages of 60 and 70 who think they don’t need to vote. Being 60 or 70 years old doesn’t make a person useless. If a person doesn’t want to vote for themselves, they should go vote for their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and for the sake of the country.”
Lula also referred to his own age when speaking about motivation.
“If Lula, at 81, has the energy he does, it’s because I want to prove that age doesn’t make us old,” he said. “What makes us old is a lack of motivation.”
The huge mobilization in São Paulo aims to flip votes for Lula in the runoff (Ricardo Stuckert)
In addition to Lula, speeches were given by Vice President Geraldo Alckmin; the governor-elect of Bahia, Jerônimo Rodrigues; the governor-elect of Ceará, Elmano de Freitas; the governor-elect of Piauí, Rafael Fonteles; and First Lady Janja.
Edited by Monyse Nunes. This article was originally published by Brasil de Fato. It was translated by Panamerican Dispatch. You can read it in its original Portuguese, here.