Brazil's Lula Slams Bolsonaro Indigenous Policies

Brazilian ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva vowed Tuesday to undo current President Jair Bolsonaro's policies on indigenous people if elected, branding his rival a "fascist" aligned with "those who want to kill our forests."

Speaking at a protest by thousands of indigenous people who are camping out in the capital, Brasilia, to protest Bolsonaro's policies, Lula drew loud cheers with a promise to create a ministry of indigenous affairs if he wins Brazil's October presidential elections.

"And one of you will have to run it, not a white person like me," he said, wearing a beaded necklace with a colorful macaw emblem.

If elected for a new term, he said, "we'll need to hold a 'revocation day,' where everything (Bolsonaro) decreed to hinder (indigenous rights) will be immediately revoked.

"We can't allow everything you've fought for to be taken from you by decree and handed over to those who want to kill our forests and wildlife," he said.

The leftist ex-steelworker, who led Brazil from 2003 to 2010, currently leads Bolsonaro in pre-election polls.

The far-right incumbent has drawn protests from indigenous groups and environmentalists for pushing legislation that would dramatically reduce the creation of new indigenous reservations and open up existing ones to mining.

A series of studies have shown protecting indigenous lands is one of the best ways to preserve forests, vital resources in the race to curb climate change.

Under Bolsonaro, who took office in 2019 with solid backing from Brazil's powerful agribusiness sector, deforestation has surged in the crucial Amazon rainforest, home to the majority of Brazil's 900,000 indigenous people.

There were chants of "Get out, Bolsonaro!" as Lula arrived to speak at the indigenous camp, which opened last week just up the road from the presidential palace and Congress.