Opposition accuses Lula government of making political use of act on January 8
The opposition to the government accused the president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) to use the act in memory of the two years since January 8, 2023 as a “political platform”.
In the words of the senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ)for example, the event was “an ode to the impossible crime of attempted coup”. The deputy Rodrigo Valadares (União Brasil-SE) He described the ceremony as “theatre” and stated that Lula was trying to “victimize” himself.
For the senator Eduardo Girão (Novo-CE)which called for greater “balance” between the three Powers, what occurred was a “media” event.
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Along the same lines, other opposition parliamentarians condemned what they consider to be excessive interference by the Federal Supreme Court (STF) in Legislative prerogatives, especially in issues related to January 8th.
They further argued that acts similar to that day’s vandalism were minimized in other historical moments. For the deputy Sergeant Gonçalves (PL-RN)Lula made “political proselytism over a corpse”, citing the death of one of the prisoners on January 8th.
Who are the fugitives who participated in the attacks on January 8, 2023
Most of the fugitives were tried and sentenced at the beginning of 2024, between February and April, but remain free
During the ceremony, the president highlighted the importance of defending democracy, punishing those responsible for the attacks and mentioned investigations into the coup attempt in 2022.
The PT member took advantage of the event to praise the potential of the Armed Forces in defending national sovereignty and also Minister Alexandre de Moraes, from the STF, rapporteur of the cases regarding the coup attempt and the 8th of January in the Court.
The government’s promise to invest R$40 million in the creation of the Democracy Museum was also the target of criticism. The senator Carlos Portinho (PL-RJ) said that the project “eternalizes narratives” and questioned the use of the word coup to describe the events of 2023.
The museum was announced at the beginning of last year, as a way of remembering the coup attacks and preserving the memory of democracy. So far, the project has not gotten off the ground. The government cut resources for construction in 2024 and did not make a new forecast for this year.
