Silvio Almeida says he is the target of ‘stupidity with racism’ – 02/02/2024 – Mônica Bergamo

The Minister of Human Rights and Citizenship, Silvio Almeida, said this Friday (2) that he was the target of what he calls “a mixture of stupidity and racism” when he was criticized for his performance at the head of the department. He also rejected the possibility that President Lula (PT) was dissatisfied with his work.

Last year, members of the federal government expressed their discontent with a supposed excessively academic profile held by Almeida as head of the position. At the time, the minister classified the criticism as a “poorly prepared lie”.

The Human Rights holder once again addressed the issue in a coffee with journalists held this Friday, in Brasília, to which the column was invited. During the conversation, Almeida mentioned the name of the Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad, also an academic, and said that racism would be responsible for causing, in his case, academic qualities to be seen as defects.

“Whoever invented this story made a mixture that is very common, right? It’s a mixture of stupidity and racism,” he said. “I have a triple degree. My training is in law, philosophy and economics. It is a very similar training — master’s degree, doctorate and post-doctorate in economics — with that of another minister, whose name is Fernando Haddad. My friend dear Fernando Haddad”, he continued.

“Why, for me, in my case, my qualities become defects? Do you understand?”, he stated. “I was a professor at Columbia University, I was a professor at Duke University, I was a professor at the Fundação Getulio Vargas School of Administration, I’m a professor at the law school. Did you understand? But all of this, for me, becomes a problem. Why? Because I’m black.”

Almeida also stated that Lula was the president who built the most universities in the country’s history, who managed in his governments programs such as Prouni (University for All Program) and Sisu (Unified Selection System) and surrounded himself, throughout his career , of great intellectuals.

“He sometimes tells me about the conversations he had with Celso Furtado,” he said. “[Lula é um presidente] who had Marco Aurélio Garcia at his side, who walks side by side with Celso Amorim. Aziz Ab’Saber, Florestan Fernandes. Do you think this president would think it was bad to have an intellectual, a professor — I’m very proud of that — being his minister?”

At the end of his speech, Almeida still denied the possibility of placing himself as a victim by associating the criticism received with racism and said he was a minister with a combative stance.

“With me, if you come, you will come for confrontation. I have no problem with that. Let’s go for confrontation, I want to see. I have no problem with conflict. I am the Minister of Human Rights for the conflict. That’s it”, he stated.

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POPCORN

Actress Samara Felippo attended the premiere screening of the feature film “Fazendo Meu Filme” at Cinemark in the Cidade Jardim shopping mall, in São Paulo, on Monday (29). Actors Bela Fernandes and Xande Valois, who are in the production’s cast, attended. Writer Paula Pimenta, author of the book of the same name that inspired the work, was there.

_{with BIANKA VIEIRA, KARINA MATIAS It is MANOELLA SMITH}

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