Lula Awarded Honorary Citizen of Paris Title

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Ex-President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received the title of Honorary Citizen of Paris on Monday, March 2nd. In the presence of former President Dilma Rousseff and the former mayor of São Paulo Fernando Haddad, Lula was presented with the diploma by the Mayor of the French capital, Anne Hidalgo.

Lula started his speech by talking about the Lava Jato operation and his conviction, which the leftist described as unfair. Lula criticized Moro and said his arrest was intended to pull him out of the 2018 elections.

Lula also mentioned his government’s social programs, which took Brazil off the hunger map, and criticized President Jair Bolsonaro’s current administration for cutting the budget for social programs.

As he spoke, the leftist was applauded at the municipal theater in Paris. “I am very touched to be here receiving this honor. When I tell you that I have the energy of a 30-year-old, I say it because I have never been more motivated than I am now to fight for democracy in our country. I thank you very much,” said the former president.

Earlier, Lula met with photographer Sebastião Salgado to talk about sustainability. The Brazilian is one of the world’s greatest photographers and has become widely known for his approach to inequality and poverty. He has also photographed migratory movements, workers and different ethnic groups around the world, including Amazonian tribes.

Linked to sustainability guidelines, Salgado and his wife Lélia Wanick have reforested over 600 hectares of rainforest in the city of Aimorés, the photographer’s hometown, and founded the Terra Institute to encourage further rehabilitation work in degraded areas of the Atlantic Forest.