BRASILIA, April 13.— Former President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Tuesday visited the Free Land Camp (ATL), open since April 4, as reported by the Telesur News portal.
The tour is on Lula’s agenda in this capital, where he arrived on Monday as a Labor Party (PT) presidential candidate for three days of talks with representatives from various political fronts.
The meetings are part of the campaign to join forces for next October’s elections. Lula is expected to return to Sao Paulo on Wednesday evening.
The ATL achieved the largest mobilization in its history this year, bringing nearly 8,000 people from around 180 indigenous communities to Brasilia, where they will remain until April 14.
During this edition, this mobilization focuses on increasing the representation of indigenous peoples in decision-making spaces
The day of protests also denounces the federal government’s neglect of the problems facing these communities, which are facing delays in vaccinating against COVID-19 and an increase in invasion of their areas.
During President Jair Bolsonaro’s tenure, invaders on tribal lands have ramped up illegal logging and mining, polluting these peoples’ habitats and reducing their livelihoods.
Exactly on Monday, thousands of indigenous people walked through the esplanade of the ministries in Brasilia until they reached the headquarters of the Ministry of Mines and Energy, in the so-called “March against the Garimpo (illegal mining) that kills and deforests”.
This mass act took place in the context of eventual debates in the National Congress on texts such as Bill 191/2020 authorizing mining on pristine land.