[Marxism] Brazilians Urged to Take to Streets

["Walter Lippmann" <walterlx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Brazilians Urged to Take to Streets

Sao Paulo, Dec 3 (Prensa Latina) Former Brazilian minister, Deputy
Jose Dirceu, urged the Workers Party (PT) to take to the streets to
defend the government of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva against
rightwing attacks.

In his first public appearance since he was stripped of legislative
privileges and political rights for eight years, Dirceu spoke Friday
night to a gathering of solidarity with Deputy Joao Paulo Cunha, also
threatened with a similar sanction as are another four legislators.

Dirceu said mobilization should not only be in defense of the
threatened deputies, but also of the PT and the government, to
strengthen the alliance with social movements and prepare conditions
for a second Lula term.

He said the right is "doing to PT what the military dictatorship did
to Joao Goulart (ousted in 1964), Getulio Vargas and Juscelino
Kubitschek," all of them presidents who were victims of the right and
the Armed Forces of their times.

First they say it is to wipe out corruption, but what they really
want is to wipe out progressives. And they not only want our
mandates, but also to impede Lula's re-election," he stressed.

"If we don't take to the streets now, they won't stop. They want to
destabilize our government," he warned.

With his appearance, Dirceu kept his word made in Thursday´s press
conference, after he was sanctioned by the House plenary, that he
would not abandon political struggle and he would work for Lula's
re-election.

Opposition and the right aimed their attacks at Dirceu from the
beginning of Lula's administration three years ago. They forced his
resignation as minister in July, and on Thursday they managed to do
what followers of the former deputy described as political lynching.

That label is not frivolous, it was used because he was judged and
sanctioned despite any evidence of his involvement or knowledge about
the use of undeclared funds in PT campaigns.

A note issued Thursday by the PT National Executive Commission said
it "strongly repudiates" the decision adopted by the House and
expressed "solidarity with our comrade Jose Dirceu."

Meanwhile, two members of the Executive Commission offered to resign
if Dirceu wants to occupy their positions from which to continue the
political struggle.

hr/ccs/rma/as



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