Freed from jail, Lula’s ready to fight in LatAm

Bloomberg

Brazil’s former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has pledged to travel around Latin America, offering support for leftist leaders at a moment when the region is engulfed by growing political turmoil.
“I’m finally free and willing to fight,” Lula said in a video message that was broadcast at the Puebla Group’s meeting in Buenos Aires. “I’m willing to walk across Brazil and travel around Latin America,” said the 74-year-old politician, who walked out of jail following a top court decision that reversed rules for imprisoning convicts.
In a three-minute message, Lula bashed Latin America’s elite and defended focussing on jobs and income distribution in order to improve life quality in the region. Argentina’s President-elect Alberto Fernandez “can do that and be an example to other countries,” he said.
The Puebla Group, which is a body created in July that brings together left-wing leaders from the region, is discussing priorities for Latin America during a meeting. Former presidents such as Brazil’s Dilma Rousseff, Uruguay’s Jose Mujica, Paraguay’s Fernando Lugo and Spain’s Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero are some of its higher-profile members.
Lula addressed a crowd of supporters gathered in front of a metalworkers union headquarters outside Sao Paulo.