A group of over 800 international academics and intellectuals from around the world, calling themselves "Humanity Against the Coup in Brazil" released a statement on May 16 condemning the ouster of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff by right-wing elements. The statement says that Rousseff's ouster on May 11 was an "imposed coup d'etat by a questionable and corrupt Congress."
The statement comes as thousands of Brazilians protested on the streets against Dilma's removal. At least eight Latin American governments have rejected the ouster. El Salvador has refused to recognise the new government and Venezuela and Ecuador both joined El Salvador in withdrawing their ambassadors in protest.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whose government is also under siege from US-backed right-wing forces that are pushing for a coup, described the events in Brazil as an attack on Latin America's left.
“Today, the first phase of a coup to end the era of popular leaders has begun,” Maduro said during a televised speech on May 12.
Pointing the finger at “Powerful oligarchic, media and imperialist forces,” Maduro claimed Rousseff's suspension was “Made in the USA”.
“The coup in Brazil is a grave and dangerous sign for the future stability and peace of all the continent. I know they're coming for Venezuela now.”
Venezuelan opposition leaders have vowed to remove Maduro from office by the end of the year, possibly through a recall referendum. However, opposition leader Henrique Capriles also called on Venezuela's military to “pick a side” in what appeared to be a public call for a military coup.
The impeachment of Dilma comes despite the fact that the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, to which acting President Michel Temer belongs, has been involved in the most serious corruption scandal in Brazil's history, Operation Car Wash. The statement is below.
***
Humanity against the Coup on Dilma in Brazil
This is not a traditional "political trial", as the Globo Group is attempting to present it. Michel Temer, the visible face of the coup, has already expressed his intentions to bring the private banking sector into the public sphere and to focus in particular on a social policy of austerity for the poorest 5% of the country, which would mean to exclude the 36 million people from the Bolsa Familia. In addition, Temer intends to move toward agreements with the United States and the European Union "with or without the Mercosur".
In short, his perspective is a government for the elite of his country distanced from the majority and to wipe out forever the experience that the country had under the government of the Workers Party.
Temer envisions himself to be the "new Macri" of Brazil, using the new government of Argentina as his model and advancing toward the dismantling of the state rarely seen in Argentina. It is not surprising then that the Foreign Ministry of that neighboring country has shamelessly supported the coup in Brazil under the guise of supporting its institutions. For everything that the coup makers have expressed and with their links to big business, we consider the coup of the President de facto Michael Temer illegitimate and illegal. He has long ago proven that he is a corrupt politician who takes his orders from the darkest parts of the predatory oligarchy of that country.
We are appealing to UNASUR to apply the established Protocol stating a Commitment to Democracy adopted by all the countries of the organisation that could put the brakes on the deterioration of the democratic thread in Brazil. We also demand that the presidents and governments of the world do not recognise Temer and to demand the return of the legitimately elected President Dilma Rousseff. They should also end the political crisis by calling for an immediate presidential election — made by the President herself — so that the Brazilian people can once again express themselves by democratic means and not by an imposed coup d'état by a questionable and corrupt Congress.
Não vai ter golpe!
Send your name to be added to: contraogolpenobrasil@gmail.com
Executive Secretariat
Carmen Bohórquez (REDH General Coordinator)
Marilia Guimaraes (REDH Brazil)
Atilio Borón (REDH Argentina)
Juan Manuel Karg (REDH Argentina)
Omar González (REDH Cuba)
Ariana López (REDH Cuba)
Nayar López Castellanos (REDH México)
Alicia Jrapko (REDH U.S.)
Hugo Moldiz (REDH Bolivia)
Katu Arkonada (REDH Basque Country/Bolivia)
Ángel Guerra (REDH Cuba/México)
Fredy Ñañez (REDH Venezuela)
Roger Landa (REDH (REDH Venezuela)
David Comssiong (REDH Barbados)
Luciano Vasapollo (REDH Italy)
First signatures:
Alessandra Riccio (Italia); Alfredo Vera Arrata (Ecuador); Ali Rodríguez Araque (Venezuela); Antonio Gaztambide-Géigel (Puerto Rico); Arantxa Tirado (España/México); Armand Mattelart (Bélgica); Arnold August (Canadá); Arturo Corcuera (Perú); Berth Carvalho (Brasil); Beto Almeida (Brasil); Bill Hackwell (EEUU); Bill Martinez (EEUU); Bruno Portuguez (Perú); Camille Chalmers (Haití); Carlos Aznarez (Argentina); Carlos Fazio (México); Carlos Fernández Liria (España); Cecilia Roth (Argentina); Chiqui Vicioso (República Dominicana); Cindy Sheehan (EEUU); Claudio Katz (Argentina); Daniel Cholakian (Argentina); Daniel Viglietti (Uruguay); Dick Emanuelsson (Honduras); Diego de la Texera Barnés (Puerto Rico); Domenico Losurdo (Italia); Edmundo Aray (Venezuela); Enrique Dussel (México); Enrique Ubieta (Cuba); Farruco Sesto (Venezuela); Fernando Buen Abad (México/Argentina); Fernando Moraes (Brasil); Fernando Rendón (Colombia); Francois Houtart (Bélgica); Frei Betto (Brasil); Gabo Sequeira (Argentina); Gastón Pauls (Argentina); Gyle McLaughin (EEUU); Gilberto López y Rivas (México); Gisela Alonso Domínguez (Cuba); Guido López Gavilan (Cuba); Hildebrando Pérez Grande (Perú); Horacio López (Argentina); Ignacio Ramonet (Francia); Isabel Monal (Cuba); Ismael Clark Arxer (Cuba); Itsván Mészáros (Hungría); Iván Padilla Bravo (Venezuela); James Cockcroft (Canadá); James Early (EEUU); Javier Biardieu (Venezuela); Joao Pedro Stedile (Brasil); John Kirk (Canadá); John Saxe Fernández (México); José Pertierra (EEUU); Julio Escalona (Venezuela); Katiuska Blanco (Cuba); Keith Ellis (Canadá / Jamaica); Leonardo Boff (Brasil); Leonardo Sbaraglia (Argentina); Lilia Ghanem (Líbano); Manuel Santos Iñurrieta (Argentina); Marco Tulio Restrepo Guzman (Ecuador); Martha Harnecker (Chile); Martín Almada (Paraguay); Michael Lebowitz (Canadá); Michael Parenti (EEUU); Michele Mattelart (Francia); Miguel Angel Conreras Natera (Venezuela); Miguel d´Escoto Brockmannn (Nicaragua); Miguel Urbano (Portugal); Mireille Fanon Mendes (Francia); Mónica Bruckmann (Perú/Brasil); Montserrat Ponsa (España); Nils Castro (Panamá); Osvaldo León (Ecuador); Pablo Guayasamín (Ecuador); Pablo Echarri (Argentina); Pablo Guadamarra (Cuba); Pablo Imen (Argentina); Paula Klachko (Argentina); Pedro Calzadilla (Venezuela); Pedro Véliz Martinez (Cuba); Peera Songkunnatham (Tailandia); Pepe Regato (Ecuador); Piero Gleijeses (EEUU); Poli Délano (Chile); Rafael Cancel Miranda (Puerto Rico); Ramón Pedregal Casanova (España); Raúl Perez Torres (Ecuador); Rita Cortese (Argentina); Salim Lamrani (Francia); Sandra Russo (Argentina); Silvio Rodríguez (Cuba); Stella Calloni (Argentina); Stephen Kimber (Canadá); Theotonio Dos Santos (Brasil); Vicente Battista (Argentina); Victor Heredia (Argentina); William Blum (EEUU); Winston Orrillo (Perú); Yamandú Acosta (Uruguay)
To see the complete list go to:
http://cuba-networkdefenseofhumanity.blogspot.com/2016/05/humanity-against-coup-en-brazil.html and http://cuba-networkdefenseofhumanity.blogspot.com/p/more-signatures_16.html
- See more at: http://www.alainet.org/en/articulo/177486#sthash.tSAHXdYY.dpuf
Like the article? Subscribe to Green Left now! You can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.