Press release - [3:00pm 03/01/2019] - For Immediate Use

PRESS RELEASE: Organise Aotearoa

Organise Aotearoa occupies Brazilian Embassy in Protest against Fascist President

Today the Brazilian Embassy in Wellington was occupied by Organise Aotearoa, an emerging socialist organisation based in Aotearoa, to protest newly inaugurated far-right Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s first day in office.

Activists occupied the embassy in solidarity with the people of Brazil. Jair Bolsonaro controversially emerged victorious in Brazil's national elections last year despite huge public outcry. His plans to rollback protections of the Amazon forest and attacks on indigenous and LGBT rights in Brazil threaten working class Brazilians. Organise Aotearoa’s spokesperson Kat Buissink notes “It was important to occupy the embassy today because the Brazilian Embassy in New Zealand represents a fascist government, we want to make it clear to the Brazilian regime that the people of Aotearoa do not accept fascism in any form, including a diplomatic presence.”

According to Buissink, political killings, beatings, and hate crimes have been on the rise during Bolsonaro campaign, perpetrated by his supporters. “The new government encourages and enables this brutality both through policy and the actions of Bolsonaro personally.”

Already Bolsonaro moved responsibility for the demarcation of indigenous land to the Ministry of Agriculture, allowing it to be opened up for commercial land grabs; lowered the minimum wage, and abolished the Public Safety, Social Development, Labor, Culture and Environment Ministries. The new Minister of Human Rights, Family and Women is opposed to against abortion and sex education. Bolsonaro has also made comments which have been seen endorse violence against indigenous groups, women and the LGBT population.

Organise Aotearoa is calling for the expulsion of the Brazilian Ambassador to New Zealand and the recall of the New Zealand Ambassador in Brasilia. “We occupied the embassy under a banner reading ‘No Relations with Fascist Nations’ and will continue to stand by this principle and resist the Brazilian government’s presence in Aotearoa.”

ENDS

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