São Paulo forum honors dictators and Chinese Communist Party

Brasília is the stage, until this weekend, of the 26th annual meeting of the Forum of São Paulo. The event, which brings together leftist parties from Latin America and the Caribbean, lasts for four days and ends this Sunday (2). With a program made up of colloquiums and seminars, leftists from all over the world were present at the Forum.

Identified by a badge with their name and their country of origin, the most diverse types of people were in Brasilia to attend the meeting. Young people, the elderly, children, men and women, some came from Ecuador, Cuba, Venezuela, China, Chile, Uruguay, Mexico and Portugal to participate in the program aimed at those who identify with the leftist agenda.

After three years, this was the first time the organization had met since the Covid-19 pandemic. The place chosen to host the event, a hotel in the heart of the Brazilian capital, has daily rates starting at R$ 340 [a depender da época do ano]this weekend, during the meeting, 90% of its rooms are occupied.

Representatives of Maduro’s party and the Chinese Communist Party are present at the São Paulo Forum

With two auditoriums reserved to receive the programming proposed by the Forum, it was possible to observe that representatives of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) used one of them to meet. Founded in 2007 by former Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chávez, Nicolas Maduro is the current president of the party.

As found by People’s Gazette, about 15 people formed the Venezuelan delegation that came to Brasilia to participate in the Forum meeting. Among them, representatives of the party, deputies and ministers of the country. The Venezuelan Minister of Indigenous Peoples, Clara Vidal, was one of those present in the delegation.

Another group that drew attention was the representatives of the Chinese Communist Party. The entourage appears to have arrived at the San Marco hotel this Friday (30) during the afternoon. Already at the beginning of the evening, a new group with four representatives from the Asian country also arrived at the headquarters of this year’s meeting.

Honored and Exalted Dictators

Founded in 1990 by Lula and former Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, the Foro de São Paulo was created with the aim of supporting leftist parties in Latin America.

In the list of dictators affiliated to the Forum, there are names like Fidel Castro and Hugo Chávez, authoritarian leaders who circumvented the constitutions of their respective countries to be presidents for an indefinite period. In addition to authoritarian attitudes, the two are accused of political crimes, against human rights and of being responsible for the execution of opposition demonstrators.

In the booklet that the participants of the meeting received in this year’s edition, the first page is dedicated to the Cuban. “Fidel Castro, an example of unity and internationalism. Among the immeasurable examples that Fidel left as a legacy to the revolutionaries of Latin America and the Caribbean, those that were decisive in the struggles of our peoples, our parties and movements stand out. These are unity and consequent internationalism”, says the little book.

In addition to these figures, other names such as Che Guevara, Joseph Stalin and Vladimir Lenin are exalted at the event. Their names, faces and books that tell their stories are displayed and marketed by small stalls at the event. They also appear on pins and mugs.

Foro de São Paulo: a great left-wing rally

In the routine of events, subscribers and guests of the São Paulo Forum can have access to a series of lectures. In the schedule, there are seminars aimed at young people and women who discuss their insertion in politics and to discuss the use of social networks “in the struggle of social and popular movements”.

There are also tables that take place behind closed doors and are not advertised. In one of them, which took place this Friday (30) and the People’s Gazette had access, the meeting had as its theme “peace and the struggle against fascism and for the rights of peoples”. The table also proposed discussions between the participating party organizations and proposals for coordination.

“Each movement or platform is asked to take the floor for its considerations on the theme, and to propose concrete actions on the theme (campaigns, proposals for mobilization, for communication, for training, etc.)”, proposed the table.

In a second methodology, the coordination was also asked to make “a summary of the proposals noted by the rapporteur, with the concern to build consensus proposals, viable and with definition of responsibilities, with solidarity as a tool to unite diffuse agendas and build unity of action”.

Taking into account the speech given by Lula at the opening of the event, on Thursday (29), it is clear that the organization aims to try to reoccupy the spaces that have been dominated by the right in recent years. The meetings, in general, aim to reach more people and make affiliated members more engaged in the leftist agenda.

PT star and MST symbol

At the hotel, the flow of people was high, but neither the space nor the seminars were crowded. The Latin accent and Spanish dialogues are predominant, as well as the color red. The tonality represents ideological biases such as communism and socialism, and is also the color of the Workers Party (PT).

Another dominant accessory is the PT star. Whether on shirts, caps, bags, brooches or bandanas, the symbol that represents the party founded by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva 43 years ago is carried by Brazilians, Uruguayans and Cubans alike. Some also carry the flags of their respective countries depicted on brooches or stamped on clothing and caps.

On their clothing or accessories, some also carry the well-known Landless Movement (MST) symbol. It is also worth mentioning that the styles are diverse, there are those who wear suits and dress shoes, but also those who have adopted jeans and a basic shirt.