President spoke at the 'Unshakable Democracy' event, stating that impunity in the case of the January 8, 2023 terrorism "would be a free pass for those who attack democracy"
247 - During the 'Unshakable Democracy' event, promoted on the afternoon of this Monday (8) by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), the political leader delivered a forceful speech, highlighting the importance of unity in defense of democracy and emphasizing that there is no room for forgiveness when it comes to attacking the fundamental pillars of the country.
Lula began by greeting all Brazilians who, overcoming political differences, said "no" to fascism, emphasizing that only in democracy can differences coexist with peace. The president recalled the traumatic events of a year ago when an attempted coup d'état, promoted by terrorists supporters of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), threatened to destroy not only material property but the very essence of Brazilian democracy.
"If the coup attempt had been successful, much more than glass panes, furniture, artworks, and historical objects would have been stolen and destroyed. The sovereign will of the Brazilian people expressed at the polls would have been stolen, and democracy would have been destroyed," said Lula. "There is no forgiveness for those who attack democracy, their country, and their own people. Forgiveness would sound like impunity. And impunity, like a free pass for new terrorist acts." >>> ALSO READ: Impunity does not mean peace nor unity, says Alexandre de Moraes
The president stressed the importance of exemplarily holding accountable all those who financed, planned, and executed the coup attempt. For Lula, democracy is not a static state but something that requires daily construction and care.
"We saved democracy. But democracy is never ready, it needs to be built and cared for every day. Democracy is imperfect because we are human, and therefore imperfect. But we all have the duty to join efforts to perfect it," the president highlighted.
Lula also addressed the relationship between democracy and inequalities, stating that there can be no full democracy while socioeconomic disparities and unequal access to public services persist. In addition, he emphasized the importance of regulating social networks to combat lies, misinformation, and hate speech that, according to him, were fundamental to the events of January 8.
"There is no democracy without freedom. But let no one confuse freedom with permission to attack democracy. Freedom is not a license to spread lies about vaccines on social networks, which may have led hundreds of thousands of Brazilians to death by Covid," warned Lula. "Our democracy will be under constant threat as long as we are not firm in regulating social networks."
