Lula Says Only He Can Stop Fascism Under Bolsonaro's Son

Brazil's president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, told a podcast audience on Friday that he alone stands between far-right "fascists" and a return to power, two days before an election the Guardian described as among the most consequential for Brazil in decades.

What did Lula say about stopping fascism?

"If it weren't for me standing up to these fascists they'd easily win another election. I'm the one standing in their way," Lula said on the podcast Flow, according to the Guardian. He added, "It's either me, or it's barbarism." Lula, 80, framed the remarks as the reason he sought what the Guardian called a historic fourth term, saying he believed only his candidacy could prevent the family of his rightwing rival, Flávio Bolsonaro, from returning to government.

What happened at the Rio rally?

Hours after the podcast appearance, Lula flew to Rio de Janeiro to lead what his campaign called a "victory march," the Guardian reported. The route ran roughly a mile, from the Candelária church to Cinelândia, through central Rio. Supporters dressed in red filled the streets for the procession, photographs published by the Guardian showed.

Lula told the crowd after the march set off, "What's at stake is not the victory of one man, it is the victory of an idea, it's the victory of democracy." He later added, "Either we consolidate democracy, or we will lose it," the Guardian reported.

Why did Lula choose that route?

The Guardian reported that both endpoints of the march carry symbolic weight from Brazil's 1964-1985 military dictatorship. Candelária church was where more than a million people, Lula among them, gathered in 1984 to demand direct presidential elections, according to the report. Cinelândia was the site of the 1968 March of the Hundred Thousand, a landmark pro-democracy demonstration during military rule. Lula spoke at the 1984 Candelária rally as a politician in his 30s, the Guardian noted.

Who is Flávio Bolsonaro and what is his role in the election?

The Guardian identified Flávio Bolsonaro as Lula's rightwing rival in Sunday's vote and as a member of the Bolsonaro family whose return to government Lula said he is seeking to block. The source material does not detail Flávio Bolsonaro's specific platform or current polling position beyond identifying him as the opposing candidate.

When is the election and what is at stake?

Brazilians vote Sunday in a contest the Guardian described as seen as the most important in decades. Lula's campaign has cast the race in binary terms — democracy against what he called barbarism — while staging the Rio march at sites tied to the country's democratic movement against military rule. The Guardian's dispatch, filed from Rio de Janeiro, did not include comparable public statements from Flávio Bolsonaro's campaign responding to Lula's remarks.

The original reporting is available via the Guardian.