Democracy is at risk as it was during the Nazi period, says Lula

By Pedro Rafael Vilela - Reporter for Agência Brasil – President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva compared the recent wave of extremism in politics to the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany in the 1930s.

The statement was given to journalists on Monday afternoon (21), in Santiago, Chile, where Lula participated in high-level meeting on defending democracy, organized by Chilean President Gabriel Boric.  

"Why are we making this move? Because democracy is at risk from extremism, as happened with the founding of the Nazi Party, with the rise of [Adolf] Hitler. What we want is democracy, regardless of whether it's right-wing, left-wing, or centrist. What we want is the exercise of democracy, with tolerance, with respect for diversity, with respect for ideological thought, with respect for the culture of each country, each religion. That's what I want for Brazil," said Lula.

Also participating in the "Democracy Forever" event were the leaders of Colombia, Gustavo Petro; Spain, Pedro Sánchez; and Uruguay, Yamandú Orsi. Following the private meeting between the leaders, they met with representatives from civil society, academia, and public policy think tanks.

The discussions cover three themes: defending democracy and multilateralism; combating inequalities; and digital technologies and combating disinformation.

For Lula, concrete and urgent action is needed in the face of the worsening anti-democratic offensive across the world.

After the meeting between the presidents, they released a joint declaration with commitments and consensus in defense of democracy .

• The document, published by the Itamaraty Palace, highlights priority actions and premises that they consider essential, such as:
• Promoting inclusive and participatory multilateralism
• Reforming the global governance system
• Strengthening an active democratic diplomacy, based on cooperation between States that share the values ​​of democracy, social justice, human rights and sovereignty
• Reaffirm the commitment to peace, respect for international law and humanitarian rights

Escalation of tensions

The meeting in Chile had been scheduled for some time, but it is taking place at a time when the President of the United States, Donald Trump, toughens tariff attacks against several countries, including Brazil.

Regarding this, still in conversation with journalists, Lula emphasized that, so far, there is no open tariff war with the United States because Brazil has not reacted to the imposition of reciprocal tariffs.

"We are not in a tariff war. A tariff war will begin the moment I respond to Trump, if he doesn't change his mind. Because the conditions that Trump imposed were not adequate conditions," he stated.

The Brazilian president expressed optimism about a negotiated solution to the impasse and once again emphasized the need for business leaders to engage in joint pressure.  

"I am relatively calm. First, because I have the Ministry of Foreign Affairs working on this. I have someone of Alckmin's caliber working on this. And businesspeople need to understand that before governments try to resolve this, Brazilian businesspeople need to talk to their counterparts in the United States, because those who will suffer from this are the businesspeople themselves."

History

The Chile event follows the first high-level meeting "In Defense of Democracy: Fighting Extremism," held in September 2024 on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly in New York. The event was convened by President Lula and Spain's Pedro Sánchez.

The next milestone of the initiative is a meeting scheduled for the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York next September. The leaders of Mexico, England, Canada, Honduras, Australia, South Africa, and Denmark are also expected to participate.