Lula Issues Video Honoring Mandela's 'Lesson in Struggle'

Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's official advisory and communication team has released a video associating his imprisonment to the imprisonment of former political prisoner and South African President Nelson Mandela.

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“Today marks 100 years since the birth of Nelson Mandela. We've met on several occasions, but, unfortunately, we were not presidents at the same time,” the video subtitles read which were also tweeted out by Lula's offical account. 

“His lesson in struggle, perseverance and forgiveness can cure the hatred of a divided nation are important for Brazil today, where racism is still very strong and where they want to reconstruct a social apartheid that we fought so strongly to diminish. Human beings are not born hating, they are taught to hate. So, we will teach people to be more just, caring, and without any type of prejudice.”

The video coincides with Mandela's centenary birthday and 100 days since Lula has been detained at the federal police headquarters in Curitiba, Parana.

As national protests take place across Brazil to mark 100 days since Lula has been detained, tributes have been pouring in to mark Nelson Mandela's 100th birthday.

Despite his conviction and imprisonment for corruption, events that many legal experts and observers attribute to lawfare and a salacious mainstream media campaign, Lula has topped every 2018 electoral poll conducted by Vox Populi, Ibope, Datafolha, Data Poder 360, Instituto Parana, the National Confederation of Transportation/MDA and Ipsos.

Lula's two terms in office were marked by a slew of social programs, lifting millions of Brazilians out of poverty and removing the country from the United Nations World Hunger Map. He left office with a record approval rating of 83 percent in 2011, according to Datafolha.