Beset by Bolsonaro's supporters, Globo waves the white flag to the PT and says "it's time to forgive" the party.
The armistice proposal was made by columnist Ascânio Sêleme, who directed the newspaper and is still one of its main columnists.
247 - The newspaper O Globo, owned by the Marinho brothers, sent a peace proposal this Saturday to the Workers' Party, which has been the target of media and judicial persecution led by the group in recent years. This persecution included a coup d'état in 2016 against former president Dilma Rousseff and a rigged presidential election in 2018, where former president Lula's political rights were artificially stripped through a process of lawfare.
The white flag was raised by journalist Ascânio Sêleme, who previously directed the newspaper and is now one of its main columnists, in his column "It's Time to Forgive the PT," in which he argues that the party has already been punished with Dilma's impeachment and the imprisonment of its main leaders. In the article, Ascânio argues that it is necessary to recognize that 30% of Brazilian voters are left-wing and that the PT is the main political force in this camp.
The peace offering, however, does not yet involve any kind of self-criticism from Globo regarding its role in the 2016 coup d'état, which paved the way for the rise of Bolsonarism – a phenomenon that now threatens the media group. Since coming to power, Jair Bolsonaro has adopted a hostile stance towards traditional media and has encouraged the growth of rival groups, such as CNN, apparently linked to businessman Edir Macedo.
In his text, the columnist for Globo also argues that isolating the PT makes no sense, given its significant presence in Brazilian society. "This political group, perhaps the strongest and most sustainable in Brazilian party history, must be readmitted to the national debate. It's past time for PT members to be reintegrated," he says, without mentioning the restoration of Lula's political rights. Ascânio also states that "hatred of the PT no longer makes sense."
It was this hatred, sown by Globo and other media outlets, that degenerated into Bolsonarism, a phenomenon that shames Brazil in the eyes of the world and threatens Globo itself.