RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Ex-president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva filed a lawsuit against Havan stores owner Luciano Hang for libel and slander.
The businessman said he would sponsor airplanes to fly over Santa Catarina’s beaches carrying banners with sayings against the leftist – on Saturday, December 28th, Hang published a video in which an aircraft displays the sentence “Lula, you boozer, give my money back”.
Lula’s defense calls for a ban on messages against the ex-president and the payment of compensation of R$100,000 (US$25.000) for moral damages.
The complaint sent to the 2nd Civil Court of Navegantes, in Santa Catarina, alleges that the circulation of the statements against Lula seriously offends the image and honor of the ex-president.
“With his behavior, (Hang) unjustly exceeded the right to political antagonism and free opinion, thereby violating any sense of civility in the political debate in full fervor in the country,” said the leftist’s defense.
On December 1st, Hang announced on his Twitter that he would fund the display of “patriotic messages” through an airplane that would fly over the Santa Catarina coast.
Among the sentences, suggested by his followers, was “Lula in jail, my foot on the sand”; “Better than summer, it’s Lula in jail” and “Lula caged is Brazil awake”.
On Saturday, the businessman released a video showing an aircraft carrying a banner with the sentence “Lula, you boozer, give my money back”.
The story tried to reach Havan’s press office but there was no reply.