President Luís Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) expressed his pride in being called a communist and a socialist during his speech at the 26th meeting of the São Paulo Forum in Brasília on Thursday, the 29th, writes Brazilian outlet BSM.
Lula criticized the right wing and their attacks on the left, stating, “They still accuse us of being communists and socialists and think they offend us like that. That makes us proud.”
He also mentioned facing discourses of tradition, family, and patriotism in Brazil, which the left has historically challenged.
Reflecting on the need for self-reflection, Lula commented on Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou, suggesting that introspection is necessary.
“Sometimes we need to look inside ourselves and ask where we went wrong, too,” he said.
The São Paulo Forum was established in 1990 as a strategic coordination of the communist movement in Latin America.
Initially denied by Lula, it later emerged that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) participated in the organization’s meetings.
Currently, the Forum comprises 134 parties from 28 countries, including the Workers’ Party (PT), the Brazilian Communist Party (PCB), and the Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB), according to its website.