Committee for the Abolition of Illegitimate Debt

No kind of electoral mandate makes it acceptable or democratic to rise to power through the aggressive demonisation of your opponents, to label social movements as ‘terrorists’ or to threaten the rights and freedoms of those citizens who you choose to scapegoat for the problems of the global economy. Those who practice such politics are responsible for some of the most heinous crimes of the twentieth century.

Bolsonaro’s disgusting racism, sexism and homophobia, and his enthusiasm for Brazil’s military dictatorship, have been widely commented on internationally. But Bolsonaro is not simply a threat to the human and civil rights of Brazil’s citizens. His policies will, if carried out, further impoverish the poor of Brazil and increase inequality in what remains a very unequal country. They will devastate the environment and prevent those standing in the way from speaking out.

When Donald Trump was elected US president in November 2016, we feared it would give confidence to those pushing xenophobia, nationalism and authoritarianism around the world. Bolsonaro’s election is just the latest example. We urgently need to build global opposition to this politics of hate, and to recreate the internationalism which our movements have so successfully built when confronting war, neoliberalism and inhumanity. We cannot allow the continued normalisation of Bolsonaro, Trump or any of the authoritarian nationalists rising to power.

This new form of fascism did not appear from nowhere. The corporate-driven hyperglobalisation of recent decades has ripped apart the social fabric of societies across the world. In lifting the drive for profit Profit The positive gain yielded from a company’s activity. Net profit is profit after tax. Distributable profit is the part of the net profit which can be distributed to the shareholders. to the highest objective of humankind, it has left huge swathes of the global population unrepresented and marginalised. It has also laid waste to large parts of our planet. It is particularly sickening to see many of those who drove this project forward now supporting the likes of Bolsonaro and Trump as a means of maintain the power of the global 1%.

We call for a radical transformation of the global system that puts people and planet ahead of the profits of the wealthy. We call for a world based on equality, the full recognition of human rights, and environmental sustainability. This is our international struggle – the most important challenge we face as citizens, communities and movements. It will not be easily won, but history shows us that we can win if we maintain hope and solidarity.

Another world is possible.