MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Lula and Sanchez seal progressive alliance in Barcelona and call for front against global far right

Sánchez responded that Spain and Brazil share “the same vision of the world, anchored in the defense of democracy, international cooperation, respect for international law and human rights, and peace”

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Friday cemented a political alliance in Barcelona between the European and Latin American left against the advance of the far right on both continents. At the first bilateral Spain-Brazil summit, held at the Pedralbes Palace with military honors and the participation of roughly ten ministers from each side, both leaders displayed total alignment and signed a series of cooperation agreements.

“Our flock is growing. We must offer a message of hope to the world. Let us not allow a return to the past, or it will be like Hitler,” said Lula, 80, who described Sánchez as a key figure in the articulation of the global progressive movement and credited him with having secured the attendance of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa for the “Democracy Always” summit taking place on Saturday, also in Barcelona, with 19 heads of state.

“My dear friend Pedro Sánchez, I understand you when you say no to war. We are witnessing a new arms race in astonishment,” the Brazilian leader added, in reference to the conflict in Iran and Sánchez's stance toward the Trump administration.

Sánchez responded that Spain and Brazil share “the same vision of the world, anchored in the defense of democracy, international cooperation, respect for international law and human rights, and peace.” The Spanish leader publicly apologized to Lula over comments by Isabel Díaz Ayuso, president of the Madrid regional government, who described the countries participating in the summit as “narco-states.”

“I am going to apologize to President Lula on behalf of Spanish society, which is open and does not feel represented by those insults from the president of Madrid,” Sánchez said. Lula listened to the Portuguese translation with a “long sarcastic smile” but chose not to respond directly, according to El País.

The summit centered on diagnosing why democracy is losing ground to extremism. “Where did democracy go wrong?” Lula asked. “Democracy created the welfare state, but in many countries the working class is going backward and wealth concentration is increasing. Rights are being lost. That is where extremism gained strength,” he answered.

Both leaders agreed on the need to reform the United Nations. “It is very weakened. The nations that created it do not respect it,” Lula lamented. They also addressed the impact of social media on disinformation and radicalization — the Brazilian proposed dropping the word “social” because the platforms “have nothing social about them” — and called for regulation to prevent entire generations from being dragged toward “extremism, hatred and disinformation.”

The bilateral summit serves as a prelude to Saturday's fourth “Democracy Always” meeting and the Global Progressive Mobilisation, a party-political event convened by Spain's Socialist Workers' Party that brings together 3,000 attendees and is also being attended by several of the leaders present in Barcelona.

The president of Catalonia's regional government, Salvador Illa, attended the reception and called it an “honor” to host the summit. “At a moment like this, progressives must unite to defend democracies against extremism,” he wrote on social media.