Brazil: Important Political Event for the 30th Anniversary of the Resistance of Santa Elina

Featured image: Speakers in a political event held at the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ).

A Nova Democracia (AND) reports that on August 28, an important political event at the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) took place to commemorate the 30^th anniversary of the historic Battle of Santa Elina. The event reaffirmed its total commitment and support for the Agrarian Revolution and solidarity with the peasants who are being attacked in Rondônia. Dozens of organizations, entities, and democratic supporters of the struggle for land attended the event. An important contribution was made by the Committee for the Defense of the Victims of Santa Elina (CODEVISE).

The Brazilian Center for Solidarity with the Peoples (CEBRASPO) opened the event by reading a letter in tribute to the intellectual, professor, and geographer in defense of the peasant struggle, Ariovaldo Umbelino, who recently passed away.

Shortly after the Brazilian Association of People’s Lawyers (ABRAPO) denounced the situation of repression by the old Brazilian State against the peasants struggling for land. It also highlighted the significance of Santa Elina, stating that it “defined two paths for the peasant movement: either conciliation, or Agrarian Revolution.”

Survivors of the Battle of Santa Elina commemorated the events of 1995, denouncing the massacres and emphasizing their mobilization and commitment to peasant struggle. Attendees from CODEVISE highlighted that “What is happening in the countryside is an acute war.” They pointed out that the peasants in 1995 had nothing, and that they decided to “die for those lands,” mobilizing 45 trucks and moving around 2,500 families who wanted to “free themselves from misery and slavery.” They powerfully asserted, “If we had to die, we would die struggling for our rights!”.

A delegation from Northern Minas spoke, explaining their struggle for land and the importance of transforming the reality of the country. They commemorated the presence of comrades in the struggle, mentioning the deceased founding member of AND, Professor Fausto Arruda. This delegation denounced the attacks by BOPE against the Revolutionary Area Valdiro Chagas of the League of Poor Peasants (LCP) in Rondônia, where peasant Raimundo Nonato was murdered. They celebrated the victory against repressive forces in 2021 at the Tiago dos Santos Camp (Rondônia), where four thousand soldiers were defeated by the strategic withdrawal of the peasants.

The General Director of AND, Victor Belizia, was present. The newspaper was invited, according to the peasants themselves, “due to their defense and promotion of the struggle for land and in service of the democratic cause and the interests of the people.” He denounced the criminalization by repressive forces against the peasant struggle. He concluded by greeting the struggling peasants and their struggle in order to sweep away the latifundium.

Different democratic entities were present, showing solidarity with the peasant struggle, criticizing the concentration of land and the power of agribusiness. They denounced the omission and complicity of the judicial system in the murders, imprisonments, and persecutions of peasants in their fight for land.

The auditorium where the event took place was filled with banners supporting the Agrarian Revolution and flags from democratic and revolutionary movements. Among them were those defending the Revolution in India, for the Communist Party of India (Maoist), the Anti-Imperialist League, as well as tributes to heroes of the Brazilian people and Comrade Basavaraj. A delegation of peasants from Northern Minas brought products harvested in peasant areas and advocated for the importance of producing for the people and food sovereignty.