President claims he was 'caught' comparing Israeli military action in Gaza to Nazi Germany's extermination of Jews
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) said on Monday (March 4, 2024) that he was beaten after comparing the Israeli military offensive against the extremist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip to the extermination of Jews by Nazi Germany. The CEO stated that “time will prove” that he was right.
“20 days ago I was beaten because of my statements about Palestine. You will be remembered. Since I am a Catholic and believe in God, I think that God writes correctly on crooked lines. In time we will prove that I was right. The Palestinian people have the right to live and create their country. You cannot do what has been done: advertise food and send torpedoes, send bullets and the death of these people. How long will we be afraid? How long will we bow?” he said in a speech at the opening of the 4th National Cultural Conference in Brasília.
The President mentioned the gesture of singer Caetano Veloso, who raised the Palestinian flag at a show on Saturday (March 2, 2024) in Porto Alegre (RS). As Lula spoke about the issue, the first lady, Janja Lula da Silva, wanted to present the president with a flag but kept it on her lap.
The banner had recently been presented to Lula by the Pernambuco poet Antônio Marinho. In his lecture, he called for an “end to the genocide” in Gaza and held the flag high. He received a standing ovation from the President and others present at the event.
Marinho then took the flag to Lula and held it out to him to take a photo next to the president. Culture Minister Margareth Menezes also took part.
In an interview with journalists in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on February 18, Lula made the controversial statement comparing Israel's actions to Nazi Germany. On this occasion, he reiterated that the residents of Gaza were victims of “genocide” and defended the establishment of the Palestinian state.
In the following days, members of Benjamin Netanyahu's government sharply criticized the Brazilian president's speech. The loudest was Chancellor Israel Katz, who criticized Lula and the Brazilian government in daily publications.