Brazil: Powerful Event Commemorates the 30th Anniversary of the Battle of Santa Elina
A powerful event took place in defense of the Agrarian Revolution and celebrating the 30thanniversary of the Battle of Santa Elina. It was held at the headquarters of the Oil Workers’ Union, Sindipetro, in São Paulo. We previously published the translation of the call for this event:
The event had numerous attendees, making it a great success. Before the event began, the attendees sang “The Internationale” together.
The event featured an opening panel with representatives from Sindipetro, the president of the Brazilian Association of People’s Lawyers – Gabriel Pimenta (ABRAPO), and members of the Support Committee for A Nova Democracia from Baixada Santista. Following this, there was a presentation panel about the history of the Battle of Santa Elina, which included testimonies from survivors of the battle, members of the Committee for the Defense of Santa Elina Victims (CODEVISE), and representatives from the Support Committee for the Struggle for the Land in Northern Minas, among others.
A panel on the topic “The Struggle for Land Today in Brazil” was held with representatives from the Support Committee for the Struggle for Land in Northern Minas, representatives from People’s Struggle for Housing, and the president of ABRAPO. Subsequently, a tribute was paid to the Heroic National Palestinian Resistance, featuring Ualid Rabah, president of the Arab Palestinian Federation of Brazil, a representative from the Marreta union, a representative from the organizing committee of the Anti-Imperialist League, and others.
The Editorial director of A Nova Democracia participated in the panel on the history of peasant struggles in Brazil. Also participated CODEVISE, organization which denounced the recent attacks against the Valdiro Chagas Area. The criminalization of the struggle for land, carried out by Fernando Montenegro, Regis Bragin, and other criminal elements from the repressive forces of the old Brazilian State, was condemned. The panel was greeted by the student movement and the Guarani Mbya indigenous people.
Following that, a panel was held against police violence in Brazil, where the crimes committed by the Military Police against the Brazilian people were widely denounced, along with their false accusations to justify their criminal acts. Among these crimes, the harsh repression against oil workers during the Petrobrás strike in 1995 was highlighted.
To close the event, a tribute was held for Professor Ariovaldo Umbelino, a geographer and defender of the peasant struggle in Brazil, who passed away on August 2. Popular cultural contributions were made following the discussions, including a musical performance that carried the flag of the League of Poor Peasants and a painting by Cleomar Rodrigues, a leader of the latter.
During the event, numerous flags, posters, and banners were displayed in support of the Revolution in India and the Communist Party of India (Maoist), as well as in solidarity with the peoples of the Middle East, democratic and revolutionary organizations, and in support of the Agrarian Revolution.
The source of all the pictures in this article is A Nova Democracia.
