When criticizing Jorginho, Lula mentions Hitler and calls for the fight against racism

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) criticized the governor of Santa Catarina, Jorginho Mello (PL), about the politician's stances against racial inclusion policies, such as quotas. The statements were made this Friday (26) during a visit to works on Petrobras vessels, in Itajaí.

The president also questioned Jorginho's absence from events promoted by the federal government in Santa Catarina. In March, the PL governor did not accompany Lula's visit to the state to sign the financing contract for a shipyard also in Itajaí.

In his speech, Lula spoke about the need to combat racism in the state and prevent the population of Santa Catarina from being "taken away from a sense of grandeur". He also criticized the state policy that attempted to establish a law that abolished racial quotas in universities and was declared unconstitutional by the STF (Federal Supreme Court).

"Racism cannot be allowed to prevail in Santa Catarina. It cannot be allowed, it cannot be allowed that here in Santa Catarina people are taken away from a sense of greatness, because this state is very rich, it is not poor. We are a Brazilian state and everyone has to be treated equally", declared Lula.

Next, when speaking of "white hegemony" in the region, the president mentions the stance of the Nazi leader, Adolf Hitler, who preached the superiority of the so-called "Aryan race".

"There is no guy who is white and is better than the guy who is black, the guy who is from the Northeast is worse than the guy from the South of the country. What is this story? Hitler tried to do this and ended up the way he did. We cannot allow this idea of white hegemony over the rest of the country. We cannot. In fact, this is not white hegemony, it is the hegemony of ignorance", he added.

CNN Brasil contacted Governor Jorginho Mello's office and is awaiting feedback. The space remains open for demonstrations.

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Source: CNN