Many of us signed, two years ago, a protest against the exclusion of Heloisa Helena from the PT, the Brazilian Workers Party.
Today, Heloisa has become the presidential candidate of the new Party of Socialism and Liberty (PSOL), founded by several bureaucratically excluded or dissident members of the PT. While Lula's government followed a typical social-liberal course, disappointing millions of people who voted for him in the hope of a radical social and political change, and people all over the world who expected from Brazil a new impulse for anti-imperialist struggle, Heloisa Helena and her comrades remained faithful to the original anti-imperialist and socialist programme of the PT.
She is today the only candidate in the Brazilian elections who raises the historical banners of the Brazilian labour movement, of the peasants, the poor and the oppressed:
- A radical agrarian reform,
- Suspension of the payment of the foreign debt,
- Rejection of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (ALCA)
- A substantial reduction of working hours without loss of pay
- A moratorium on the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (such as Monsanto's Terminator seeds),
- Support for the ALBA, the Bolivarian Alliance of the Americas (Venezuela, Bolivia, Cuba).
The elections in Brazil are of concern for socialists everywhere in the world. In solidarity with the poor and the exploited Brazilian masses, we support the only socialist candidate in the next Brazilian presidential elections, Heloisa Helena.
To support this statement, email [email protected]
Or sign at: www.petitiononline.com/heloisa1/
Contact: [email protected] for copies of the petition.
Principal signatories so far (all in a personal capacity unless otherwise indicated):
- Gilbert Achcar - University professor and author
- Michael Albert - editor, Z-Net
- Anthony Arnove - International Socialist Organisation, US
- Ecehan Balta - Freedom and Solidarity Party/ODP. Turkey
- Daniel Bensaïd - LCR, France
- Olivier Besancenot - Presidential candidate, LCR, France
- José Boda - Exec mbr, Oilworkers' Union, Fedepetrol, Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela
- Patrick Bond - Political economist, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- Peter Boyle - National secretary, Democratic Socialist Perspective, Australia
- Sue Branford - writer on Latin America
- Robert Brenner - Economist, US
- Alex Callinicos - Socialist Workers Party
- Salvatore Cannavo - National deputy, Party of Communist Refoundation, Italy
- Noam Chomsky - MIT, Boston, US
- Orlando Chirino - Nat Coordinator of the Nat Union of Workers (UNT) Venezuela
- Frances Curran MSP - Scottish Socialist Party
- Mike Davis - University of San Diego, California
- Roland Denis - on behalf of Proyecto Nuestra America/M-13 de Abril, Venezuela
- Espacio Alternativo - Spanish State
- Colin Fox MSP - convenor, Scottish Socialist Party
- Ana Gabarró - National Council of the Catalan United Left, Spanish state
- Richard Gallardo - Nat Coordinator of the Nat Union of Workers (UNT) Venezuela
- Marcos García - Nat Coordinator of the Public Employees Union (FENTRASEP), Venezuela
- Lindsey German - convenor, Stop the War Coalition, England and Wales
- Mike Gonzalez - Prof of Latin American Studies, Glasgow University, Scotland
- Tony Gregory - Independent TD, Dublin Central, Ireland
- Joe Harrington - Former Mayor of Limerick City, Ireland
- Rudy Hartono - National Student League for Democracy, Indonesia
- Linus Jayatilake - President, United Federation of Labour, Sri Lanka
- Dr Vickramabahu Karunarathna = President, Left Front, Sri Lanka
- Claudio Katz - Economist, Argentina
- Alain Krivine - LCR, France
- Dharmasiri Lankapeli - Gen Sec, Media Employees Federation, Sri Lanka
- Michale Lavalette - Preston City Councillor for Respect, England
- Paul Laverty - screenwriter
- Ken Loach - filmmaker
- Michael Lowy - Brazilian author
- Finian McGrath - Independent TD, Dublin North-Central, Ireland
- Patricia McKenna - former Member of the Euro Parliament, Irish Green Party
- Luigi Malabarba - senator, Party of Communist Refoundation, Italy
- José Melendez - Finance Sec, Steelworkers' Union (SUTISS), Venezuela
- People's Democratic Party (KPP-PRD) - Indonesia (Dita Indah Sari, Chairperson; Zely Ariane - Department of International Relations)
- Pedro Montes - Economist, Member of the Federal Presidency of Izquierda Unida/United Left, Spanish state
- Daisy Mules - Derry Trades Union Council and Sinn Féin member, Ireland
- Jaime Pastor - Member of the Federal Political Council of Izquierda Unida/United Left, Spanish state
- Stalin Pérez Borges - Nat Coordinator of the Nat Union of Workers (UNT) Venezuela
- James Petras - Professor Emeritus, adviser, Brazilian MST
- Michael Pruetz - WASG (Berlin leadership), Germany
- Lluis Rabell - Nat Council of the Catalan United Left, Spanish state
- John Rees - national secretary, Respect Party, England and Wales
- Revolta Global - Catalunya
- Teresa Rodriguez - Fed Presidency of Izquierda Unida/United Left, Spanish state
- Edgard Sánchez - on behalf of the Revolutionary Workers' Party (PRT), Mexico
- Alfredo Saad Filho - university professor, London
- Ahmed Shawki - Editor, International Socialist Review, US
- Eric Toussaint - President, Committee for the Abolition of Third World Debt, Belgium
- Diosdado Toledano Gonzalez - member of the Presidency of Izquierda Unida/United Left and member of the Permanent Council of the Catalan United Left, Spanish state
- Marcos Tulio Díaz - General Secretary, Construction Union (UBT), Venezuela
- Franco Turigliatto - senator, Party of Communist Refoundation, Italy
- Achin Vanaik - Professor of International Relations, Dept. of Political Science, Delhi University, India
- Niel Wijethilake - Gen Sec, Corporation Co-op & Mercantile Union, Sri Lanka
- Howard Zinn - Historian, US
- Slavoj Zizek - Slovenian philosopher