‘Arbitrary measures’: Lula slams US ‘terror’ designation for Brazil gangs

The president of Brazil, left-wing person Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has denounced a determination by the United States to designate 2 of the South American country’s transgression networks arsenic “terrorists”, informing that the statement could beryllium a “setback” for section instrumentality enforcement efforts.

The condemnation came successful a 435-word message posted to Lula’s societal media platforms connected Friday.

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In it, Lula drew a enactment betwixt transgression activities and planetary terrorism, which is often understood to usage unit for governmental oregon societal aims.

“The panic inflicted by these organisations upon communities seeks to make nett done transgression — specifically done cause and arms trafficking,” Lula wrote.

Those activities, nevertheless violent, “must not beryllium conflated with the ideologically, politically, oregon religiously motivated actions diagnostic of planetary terrorism”, helium added.

Lula’s statements came successful effect to an announcement a time earlier from the medication of US President Donald Trump.

Pushback against ‘terrorist’ label

On Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio revealed that helium had designated Brazil’s 2 largest transgression groups — the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and the Comando Vermelho (CV) — “specially designated planetary terrorists”.

He besides outlined plans to adhd the 2 groups to the database of “foreign violent organisations”, effectual June 5.

Rumours had swirled for months that the Trump medication would use the “terrorist” statement to the 2 groups. But Lula and his ministers had pushed back, calling connected Trump to clasp off.

“Terrorist” designations frost each US-based assets connected to the targeted groups, but they tin besides beryllium utilized to penalise anyone who offers “material enactment oregon resources” to them.

Experts pass that specified restrictions could perchance impact fiscal institutions and adjacent the victims of specified groups, including businesses and individuals who mightiness beryllium forced to wage extortion.

Lula has besides expressed interest that the “terrorist” statement could pave the mode for US subject intervention, a fearfulness helium reiterated successful Friday’s statement, though helium ne'er named Trump outright.

“We stay afloat prepared to make associated solutions that output communal benefits for each nations involved,” Lula wrote.

“However, we volition not tolerate the imposition of arbitrary measures from abroad, nor volition we judge their usage arsenic a pretext to undermine our sovereignty oregon our economy. Unilateral, non-negotiated measures tin undermine the combat against criminals and trigger actions that endanger the lives of radical who person perfectly nary transportation to crime.”

A choky predetermination successful Brazil

A salient left-wing person successful Latin America, Lula is successful the midst of a heated predetermination season, arsenic helium seeks a 4th nonconsecutive word arsenic Brazil’s president.

Previously, helium served arsenic president from 2003 to 2011, earlier being re-elected to a 3rd word successful 2022.

In that race, helium defeated the right-wing incumbent, Jair Bolsonaro, who would aboriginal beryllium convicted of attempting to overturn the results of the race. Bolsonaro is presently serving a 27-year situation sentence.

His eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, is thought to person been instrumental successful Trump’s determination to contented the “terrorist” designations. The legislator is presently moving against Lula successful the 2026 statesmanlike election, and the 2 person been locked successful a choky race.

This week, arsenic helium visited the White House, Senator Bolsonaro confirmed to reporters that helium intended to question “terrorist” designations for some the Primeiro Comando da Capital and the Comando Vermelho.

Trump has adjacent ties to the Bolsonaro family, and helium has antecedently intervened successful elections astir the satellite connected behalf of right-wing candidates.

In Friday’s post, Lula accused Senator Bolsonaro of leveraging his household connections to “petition overseas authorities” for favour.

“It is deplorable that, erstwhile again, members of the Bolsonaro household person travelled to the United States to advocator for overseas involution successful Brazil,” Lula wrote.

He pointed to alleged efforts to halt the transgression prosecution of Jair Bolsonaro. Currently, 1 of the ex-president’s sons, Eduardo Bolsonaro, is facing obstruction charges related to efforts to lobby Trump to intervene successful the case.

Trump yet did enforce steep sanctions against Brazilian products successful August 2025, citing the Bolsonaro proceedings arsenic a reason.

Concerns astir sovereignty

Under Trump, the US has taken an progressively expansionist presumption towards the Western Hemisphere, reviving the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine, which described the Americas arsenic Washington’s sphere of influence.

Trump himself has utilized transgression arsenic justification for taking unilateral subject enactment successful the region. Since September, his medication has conducted 59 strikes against alleged drug-trafficking boats successful the Caribbean Sea and eastbound Pacific Ocean, sidesplitting astatine slightest 196 people.

And connected January 3, helium launched an early-morning subject cognition against Venezuela, culminating successful the abduction and imprisonment of then-President Nicolas Maduro connected drug-trafficking charges.

While the Bolsonaro household has courted Trump successful caller months, Lula has criticised those military-led actions arsenic unjustified.

But information is expected to beryllium a ascendant contented successful October’s statesmanlike race. This week’s “terrorist” designations are apt to enactment Lula successful an awkward position, forcing him to condemn the statement without downplaying the grade of the violence.

Lula has attempted to brushwood disconnected right-wing disapproval that helium has been lax connected crime, pointing to his government’s caller $11bn concern successful the “Brazil Against Organized Crime” programme.

That follows a abstracted $2bn programme successful March to bolster the country’s prisons, amended homicide investigations and disrupt arms trafficking and different fiscal transactions carried retired by transgression groups.

Still, Lula and Bolsonaro stay cervix and cervix successful the lead-up to October’s election.

On May 16, the polling steadfast Datafolha found that some candidates would person 45 percent of elector enactment successful a one-on-one race, with 9 percent of voters indicating they would formed a null vote.

Another 1 percent identified arsenic undecided.