Lula: 'If we lower our heads, they'll put a yoke on us and we won't get up again'

247 - During an event held this Thursday (24), in the municipality of Minas Novas (MG), President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva harshly criticized the tariff policy adopted by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, and warned of the risks of international subservience.

The speech was given at a ceremony announcing R$ 1,7 billion in public education policies aimed at indigenous and quilombola communities. Addressing traditional leaders from the Jequitinhonha Valley region, Lula discussed the trade war imposed on Brazil by Trump and reiterated the federal government's commitment to protecting affected productive sectors. "Never lower your head. Because if you lower your head, they'll put a yoke on you and you won't get up again," the president stated, to applause from the audience, referring to the frame used for transporting cargo on animals. 

'No one respects someone who doesn't respect themselves'

Lula shared a symbolic episode from his first participation in the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2003. According to him, upon arriving at a meeting room accompanied by then-Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, none of the leaders present stood up to greet him. However, when then-US President George W. Bush entered the room, everyone stood up. “I told Celso Amorim: 'We're not going to stand up.' And Bush went there and greeted us and sat with us. You know what I learned? Nobody respects those who don't respect themselves,” Lula recounted, highlighting the importance of dignity and sovereignty in international relations.

Response to the price hikes and support for national businesses.

In response to the trade sanctions imposed by Trump — who assumed his second term in January 2025 — Lula declared that he will continue trying to negotiate with the United States, but warned that the government will not accept humiliation. He also promised support for Brazilian economic sectors harmed by US protectionist measures. “I have a side. And my side is the poor people of this country,” said the president, reinforcing the popular character of his government.

Attack on the Bolsonaro family and accusations of betrayal.

In one of the most incisive moments of his speech, Lula directly accused the Bolsonaro family of acting against national interests. He stated that members of the former president's family deliberately asked Trump to intervene with the Supreme Federal Court (STF) to suspend investigations against Jair Bolsonaro. "It's a disgrace, a lack of character, a lack of courage," Lula criticized, describing the attitude as anti-national and cowardly.

Commitment to traditional peoples

Beyond the debate on geopolitics and economics, the president also reiterated his commitment to the traditional peoples of Brazil. "I came to recognize the knowledge of the people of this region," he declared, referring to the ancestral knowledge of the indigenous and quilombola communities of the Jequitinhonha Valley. The allocation of R$ 1,7 billion for specific educational policies was celebrated as a milestone in cultural appreciation and inclusion.