Protesters will hold demonstrations demanding freedom for Lula in the next several days to mark one year since the ex-president's prison / Nelson Almeida/AFP
As April 7th marks one year since the political imprisonment of Brasil’s former president Luis Inácio Lula da Silva, people’s movements and political organisations from 16 countries will hold demonstrations as part of the International Rally for Lula’s Freedom. Most rallies will take place between Sunday and Wednesday next week, Apr. 10.
According to the organisers, “the demonstrations in Brasil and abroad will expose the political character of the prison of ex-president Lula.” The Workers’ Party leader was arrested in a moment when he was the front-runner in the country’s 2018 presidential election. The judge who convicted him, Sérgio Moro, became the minister of Justice in the new administration of Jair Bolsonaro – who reaped the most benefits from the ex-president’s prison and his ineligibility to run.
Demonstrations are confirmed in 17 capital cities in Brasil and 32 activities will also take place in 15 other countries around the world. “The unfair smear campaign of which Lula is a victim has been sparking outrage in Brasil and abroad,” a statement released by the Free Lula Committee reads. The committee also reiterates that the case of the ex-president is under review by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations (UN).
Lula was nominated in January for the Nobel Peace Prise for his work fighting hunger in Brasil and abroad. Hundreds of thousands of personalities from around the world signed a petition to support his nomination, which was submitted to the Nobel Committee.
A video calling for the International Rally for Lula’s Freedom is spreading online. “Our expectation is to hold two major national rallies. One in Curitiba, with leaders, a cultural activity and a multi-faith ceremony on the 7th outside the Federal Police headquarters [where Lula is imprisoned]. And we will hold a national rally in São Paulo, also on April 7th, Sunday, in the afternoon, to bring together everyone in the state who wants to express their solidarity with Lula and believes his prison is unfair and arbitrary,” the Free Lula Campaign coordinator Igor Felippe said.
Felippe also calls people to organise their own activities in solidarity with Lula and in defense of democracy.
“If you believe Lula’s prison is arbitrary, if you believe it’s an injustice, if you believe Lula’s prison threatens democracy and civil rights, organise an activity, a meeting, a debate, a rally, a lunch, in defense of democracy and for Lula’s freedom, and send the information to our committee so it can be immediately included in our schedule.”
The former president was arrested in April 2018 after his conviction was upheld by an appeals court in a case involving a beachside apartment.
In Brasil, demonstrations will take place in the states of Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Goiás, Maranhão, Minas Gerais, Pará, Paraíba, Paraná, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, São Paulo, Tocantins, and the Federal District.
Below is a list of rallies, demonstrations, and activities that will take place in several cities around the world.
Spain
Free Lula Committee in Madrid
Demonstration by the Collective for Rights in Brazil
Apr. 7
1:30 p.m.
Plaza Tirso de Molina, Madrid
Free Lula World Rally Barcelona
Apr. 7
12 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Cascada Del Parque De La Ciudadela, Barcelona
Germany
Free Lula German Initiative
World Rally for Lula’s Freedom
Apr. 7
3 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Marienplatz – Munich
Kundgebung Freiheit für Lula (Free Lula Rally)
Apr. 7
4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Herrmannplatz, 10967, Neukölln, Berlim
World Rally for Free Lula/Marielle Presente
Apr. 7
3 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Ecke Poststr/An der Suerst, Bonn
Free Lula World Rally
Apr. 7
4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Römerberg, Frankfurt
Zusammen für Lula Livre Hamburg
Apr. 7
11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Landungsbrücke, Hamburg
Komitee Freiheit für Lula
Lula’s Prison and Operation Car Wash – Talk with Jessé de Souza
Apr. 9
6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Kleine Alessandrstr, 28, 10178, Berlim
Free Lula in Köln
Debate on Brazil in Köln
Apr. 7
1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Köln Domplatte, Köln
Free Lula Berlin Committee
Collective Free Lula Sticker Affixing in Berlin
Apr. 3 to 6
Time to be defined
Meeting point: Brandenburg Gate
Berlim Kassel Frankfurt
France
Parisian Committee in Solidarity with Lula
Rally for Lula’s Freedom
Apr. 7
3 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Trocadéro Esplanade, Paris
Portugal
Workers’ Party Office in Lisboa
365 days of injustice
Apr. 7
4 p.m.
Largo Luiz Camões , 1200-234, Lisboa
Voices of the World
Rally for Lula’s Freedom
Apr. 7
4 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Praça 8 de Maio, 8, 3000-300, Coimbra
United Kingdom
Free Lula UK Committee
FREE LULA ‘Free Lula London Tour’
Apr. 7
1:30 p.m.
Embassy of Brazil in London
Brazil Liberation Front – Manchester UK
Free Lula! For Democracy in Brazil
Apr. 7
3 p.m.
Picadilly Gardens – Manchester, UK
Free Lula Rally
Apr. 10
5:30 p.m.
Embassy of Brazil in London
Film screening: Já vimos esse filme
Apr. 13
6pm
Calders Bookshop, 51, The Cut, SE1 8LF, London
Switzerland
Free Lula Committee in Geneva
Rassemblement pour Lula
Apr. 7
3 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Place des Nations, 1202, Genebra
Italy
Bologne Collective for Democracy in Brazil
Free Lula World Rally
Apr. 7
5 p.m.
Piazza Nettuno, 40123, Bologne
Free Lula Italian Committee
Atto di solidarietà per Lula
Apr. 7
6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Corso d’Italia, Roma
United States
BRADO/DDB/Women of Resistance Abroad Collectives
Free Lula – The fight to free Lula and regain democracy in Brazil
Apr. 6
6:30 p.m.
320W 37th ST NYC
Lula Livre – Free Lula Saint Louis
Apr. 7
2 p.m. – 3 p.m.
6600 Delmar Blvd, University City, Mo 63130-4503, Saint Louis
Open lecture, concert, and exhibit: Free Lula – The fight to free Lula and regain democracy in Brazil
Launch of Free Lula Committee USA
Organization: The People’s Forum, Defend Democracy in Brazil Committee, Collectives Alerta, BRADO, Humanas e Mulheres da resistência no Exterior
Apr. 6
6:30 p.m. – 11 p.m.
320 W. 37th ST, NYC
Free Lula Committee USA
Free Lula Rally and March
Apr. 7
2 p.m.
Union Square & 14th Street, NYC
Netherlands
Amsterdam Collective for Democracy in Brazil
Free Lula World Rally
Apr. 7
2 p.m.
Dam Square, Amsterdam
Denmark
For Democracy, Free Lula, and Marielle’s life
Apr. 7
3 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Jens Kofods Gade 1, st th, 1268 Embassy of Brazil in Copenhaguen
Australia
World Rally for Lula’s Freedom Melbourne
Apr. 7
5:15 p.m. – 7 p.m.
State Librabry of Victoria, 328 Swanston Street, Melbourne 3000
Uruguay
Rally for Lula’s Freedom Montevideo
Apr. 5
6 p.m.
Plaza de la Bandera, Montevideo
Sweden
Freedom for Lula, a politica prisoner
Apr. 6
5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Kungsgatan 84, Kungsholmen Stockholm, Sverige
México
Coletivo Regina de Sena México Brasil contra o Golpe
Rally for Lula da Silva’s Freedom
Apr. 7
12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
Ángel de la Independencia 06500 – México City
Austria
Free Lula Austria Committee
Free Lula World Rally
Apr. 7
3 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Stephansplatz, outside the Vigilkapelle of Stephansdom – Vienna
