PSOL

PSOL Logo

PSOL is the commonly-used acronym for Brazil's Socialism and Liberty Party, which was part of the Workers' Party until they split. PSOL supported the current president of Brazil, Luis Ignacio Lula da Silva, commonly known as Lula.

Background

From an article by Enrique Calvo titled "Leaving the Socialist International Would Be a Big Mistake":

PSOL "was formed in 2004 after Brazil’s Workers' Party (PT), purged its left wing in an effort to pass an austerity-style pension reform. The purged activists regrouped as PSOL."

Repeated Call for arrest of Bolsonaro

L-R: Ivan Valente, Fernanda Melchionna, Henrique Vieira, Chico Alencar, Guilherme Boulos, Luciene Cavalcanti, Celia Xakriaba, Samia Bomfim

On February 1, 2023, PSOL leaders called for the arrest of Jair Bolsonaro, former president of Brazil.

PSOL deputies asked this Monday (2/1) that Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the Federal Supreme Court, decree the preventive detention of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) for "encouraging criminal and terrorist acts".

Signatories included PSOL:

Juliano Medeiros, president of PSOL, and by deputies Guilherme Boulos (SP), Samia Bomfim (SP), Fernanda Melchionna (RS), Ivan Valente (SP), Vivi Reis (PA), Aurea Carolina (MG), Glauber Medeiros (RJ), Luiza Erundina (SP), Taliria Petrone (SP), Erika Hilton (SP), Tarcisio Motta (SP), Chico Alencar (SP), Henrique Vieira (RJ), Celia Xakriaba (MG) and Luciene Cavalcanti (SP).

On February 15, 2023, the PSOL appeal was "reinforced" (translated):

"The PSOL bench in the Chamber of Deputies delivered, on Wednesday (15/2), the, a letter to the Minister of the Supreme Court (STF) Alexandre de Moraes with almost 300 thousand signatures collected by the acronym, to reinforce a request for pre-trial detention to former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL), which was filed in the STF on January 2.

"In addition to pre-trial detention, PSOL also calls for some precautionary measures against Bolsonaro: breach of telephone and telematic secrecy; and; search and seizure of evidence and documents to avoid any kind of destruction or concealment of criminal indications, seizure of your passport and suspension of your social networks."

Glenn Greenwald Connection

David Miranda with Glenn Greenwald

Glenn Greenwald's late husband David Miranda of Brazil's Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL).

Assassination Attempt Bolsonaro

Adelio Bispo de Oliveira one time PSOL member stabbed Jair Bolsonaro in 2018 during his presidential campaign.

DSA convention

International speakers at the Democratic Socialists of America national convention July 2019 in Atlanta included Rasha Mubarak US Palestinian Campaign for Human Rights, Nuha Zein Sudanese Professionals Association, Workers Party of Brazil, Nuevo Peru, Oliver Schroder Die Linke, Seichi Yanada? ZENKO (National Assembly for Peace and Democracy), Hanan Yahya Yemeni Alliance Committee, Aaron Pedrosa Partido Lakas ng Masa (Party of the Labouring Masses), Bruno Magalhaes Socialism and Liberty Party Brazil, Waltraud Fritz Klackl Party of the European Left.

DSA NTX connecting with Comrades in Brazil

At our May 26th 2019 meeting, the Democratic Socialists of America - Collin County Skyped in three comrades from Brazil who are members of the PSOL (Partido Socialismo e Liberdade or the Socialism and Liberty Party) to talk with us about their organizing efforts against the current proto-fascist president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro. Thanks to Mr. Pedro Fuentes of the PSOL, Ms. Alice Domingues, a student organizer, and Mr. Bruno Silviano, an organizer with the teachers union.

One of the most important things we learned from our comrades in Brazil was that opposition to Bolsonaro is huge in Brazil right now. At the most recent demonstrations against Bolsonaro before our conversation (which happened around the same time as DSA NTX and other area socialists, communists, anarchists, LGBTQ people, labor, and antifascists were protesting against Jair Bolsonaro’s visit to Dallas, sponsored by Trammell Crow and other area wealthy businessmen) the Bolsonaro supporters’ mobilization was greatly outnumbered by the mobilization of Brazilians opposed to Bolsonaro.

Bolsonaro’s cuts to education and the university system have caused a huge backlash. The public education programs in Brazil have, as Alice told us, allowed many people in Brazil to be the first in their families to go to university. One interesting tactic we learned about in response to the cuts was the professors and students taking classes out into the streets, so people could see what education funding is used for and share in the classes.

We asked our comrades in Brazil what we in the U.S. can do to help — the big ask right now was to boost awareness in the U.S. of the huge protests against Bolsonaro and show our solidarity. The next big protest against Bolsonaro and his cuts to education which our comrades told us about on the 26th happened yesterday on the 30th. So now we’d like to share some of the photos and videos from yesterday’s protests which our comrades passed on to us yesterday.

Solidarity with the working class and oppressed of Brazil against fascism! And our Collin County and NTX elected delegates to the DSA national convention in Georgia look forward to meeting Pedro and Bruno there in person in August!