President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has sparked controversy in Brazil by joking about violence against women, at a time when the country is seeing an increase in rapes.
The comment came on Tuesday before a group of ministers and businessmen gathered at the Planalto Palace, the seat of government in Brasilia, when the leftist leader praised the number of women present.
Lula described the increase in gender violence as “sad news” and referred to a study that found that such attacks increase after football matches.
“Incredible,” he said at the meeting, which was being broadcast live. He added jokingly: “If the guy is a Corinthians fan, everything is fine.”
In his frequent speeches and interviews, the 78-year-old president often mixes political and economic topics with personal anecdotes, such as his passion for football for Corinthians de Sao Paulo.
His slip did not go unnoticed.
“Besides not being funny, Lula’s comment normalizes a Brazilian tragedy that should concern everyone, especially the president: at least 10,600 women have been victims of femicide since 2015,” Amnesty International wrote on social media X.
The NGO referred to the report mentioned by Lula and recalled that on game days, physical attacks against women increase by 21%. “And no, not everything is fine,” it stressed.
Far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022), criticized during his term for comments considered misogynistic, lashed out at his arch-rival.
“Imagine if one were to come close to saying the nonsense that this guy says every day,” wrote X alongside the video of the meeting. Even his wife, Michelle Bolsonaro, joined in the reproaches.
Lula’s blunder also went down badly in his own ranks. Congresswoman Fernanda Melchionna, of the leftist Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL), wrote in X: “Domestic violence is no joke.”
The president, who has been criticized in the past for comments about women and minorities, has acknowledged this: during an event on Wednesday with people with disabilities, he said that, at the suggestion of First Lady Janja, he would read his speech “so as not to say any words” that could cause her “problems.”
Brazil is experiencing an increase in violence against women, with an average of one rape every six minutes last year, 6.5% more than in 2022, according to a report released Thursday by the NGO Brazilian Public Security Forum.
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© Agence France-Presse
