Thursday afternoon, 20 British politicians condemned the recent suspension of Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff, as well as the interim government appointed in her absence. In an open letter that appeared in The Guardian, members of Parliament and other government officials minced no words, calling the movement to remove Rousseff “an attempt to overthrow democracy in Brazil”:
We condemn the suspension of President Dilma Rousseff in Brazil. It is thoroughly wrong that a few parliamentarians trample upon the political will expressed at the ballot box by 54 million Brazilians. The new government has shown its true colours by appointing a non-representative, all-male, cabinet and launching neoliberal policies that will hurt millions of working and poorer people… We join Brazil’s progressive political and social movements, and groups from across global civil society including the trade union movement[…]
This public display of solidarity with the people of Brazil and the Workers’ party has come after the leak of a controversial transcript featuring a telephone conversation between former Brazilian senator (now planning minister) Romero Jucá and ex-oil tycoon Sérgio Machado. The document revealed plans by Jucá and Machado to take down Rousseff in an attempt to avoid an investigation of tampering and corruption that likely would have implicated them both. In addition, the conversation exposed that the two intended to thwart subsequent protests by leftist organizations by employing wrongful military force.
Shortly after the transcript was leaked, Jucá stepped down from his 10-day-old position while Rousseff remains suspended for approximately 6 months due to allegations of account tampering.
Government officials from Venezuela, El Salvador, Ecuador, Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Chile and Uruguay have also proclaimed Dilma Rousseff to be “the legitimate leader” of Brazil, coming out against the so-called “coup” in Brazil in statements reported by teleSUR.
As the Trumps of the world get louder and more frightening, it seems like everyone is going to have to be extra vigilant if we want to keep democracy in tact.
