Ministers express Lula’s gratitude to the MST on its 40th anniversary

Government ministers attended this Saturday (27) an event celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST) and expressed gratitude from President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to the organization for having strengthened the “democratic resistance” during the period. in which the PT member was imprisoned, between 2018 and 2019.

“We are bringing here the warm, affectionate hug, companion of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. It was very difficult to get here and many important people helped in the democratic resistance: governors, mayors, deputies, councilors. But they had the essential ones, which were the organized movements in that country, which spent 580 days [dando] ‘good morning, good afternoon, good evening president’”, said Márcio Macedo, from the General Secretariat of the Presidency.

In addition to him, Luiz Marinho (Work), Paulo Teixeira (Agrarian Development) and Silvio Almeida (Human Rights) and Gabriel Galípolo (director of the Central Bank), as well as Lula’s historical companions, were at the event, held at a school in Guararema (SP). at PT José Dirceu, Gilberto Carvalho, Paulo Okamotto and Valter Pomar.

“It is essential that all our left-wing institutions, all our organizations look at the example that the MST gives us. As said here by José Dirceu, the MST often pushes us and shows us the way. Let’s go democratically together in building the necessary unity on the left to make President Lula’s government victorious”, stated Luiz Marinho.

“The MST knows the enormous gratitude that I carry towards the MST, to the many friends I have here and to the example that the MST has provided for the struggles that Brazil is fighting and will still have to fight. This moment is one of celebration, but of gratitude, of thanking and telling people in the movement how important they have been for Brazil”, said Silvio Almeida.

“You helped Lula climb the Planalto Palace ramp. You carry our dreams”, said Paulo Teixeira, thanking the MST for the “example”. “I want to say here about Lula’s gratitude for the MST, because you have always been together in history. They tried to end the MST and arrested Lula, together we took him to the Presidency, hence the gratitude,” he said, adding that the government must deepen agrarian reform in the country.

No minister spoke about the invasions of the movement which, according to leader João Pedro Stédile recently, are expected to increase this year.

I apologize to Genoino

During the event, the MST made an act of retaliation for former PT president José Genoino, who last week defended a boycott of Jewish businesses, in protest against Israel’s offensive against Hamas, following the terrorist group’s attacks in beginning of the year. The PT leader was accused of anti-Semitism by the Brazilian Israeli Confederation (Conib).

“I want to take advantage of this moment to join in this effort for peace in the Middle East, for the end of the war against the Palestinian people, showing solidarity with Breno Altman and Genoino, who are being victims of an attack due to defense what they did to the Palestinian people and the protest they made in relation to the genocide that is taking place”, stated Paulo Teixeira.