Former Brazilian president Luis Ignacio Lula Da SIlva. Photo: El Pais.
The Civil Police of the Brazilian state of São Paulo are investigating death threats against former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, at the request of his lawyer Cristiano Zanin, news agencies reported this Wednesday, April 13.
The threats against Lula appeared on the website of the Workers’ Party (PT), and were issued by an individual who identified himself as Luiz Carlos Prestes.
In the messages, the author assures that members of Lula’s own political organization who will kill the former labor leader, and that the elimination will take place in São Paulo (perhaps in the interior) at the end of this year. The messages appeared on March 24, April 5, and April 7.
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Referring to a report by Prensa Latina, the news website G1 indicated that the delegate Laércio Filho, of the division for electronic crimes of the State Department of Criminal Investigations, ordered the opening of an investigation,
As these threats against Lula’s life increase on social media networks, personal security becomes a central issue in the electoral campaign.
On April 7, after a series of remarks by Bolsonaristas (supporters of the far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro) came to light, the president of the PT, Gleisi Hoffmann, took to social media platforms to demand a response from the authorities.
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“Bolsonarista deputies talk about killing Lula,” wrote Hoffmann. “The boys display weapons and exude hatred, and the media describe Lula’s speech about putting pressure on deputies as a threat! This media behavior is normalizing violence and could compromise the electoral process.”
Bolsonarista parliamentarian Colonel Telhada recently referred to Lula as a threat during a plenary session of São Paulo’s Legislative Assembly.
In addition, on March 24, a video was circulated on social media platforms in which a man from the city of Gravatal, in the south of the state of Santa Catarina, practiced target shooting and uttered insults against members of the PT.
To date, the PT presidential candidate leads all the opinion polls leading up to the October 2 elections. In the latest survey by the Datafolha Institute, published on March 24, Lula registered 43% of the voting intention, in comparison with 25% for Bolsonaro. The poll surveyed 2,556 people on March 22 and March 23 in 181 cities. The margin of error is two points.
Featured image: Former Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Photo: El Pais.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
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