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

The president of Brazil, left-wing leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva , has denounced a decision by the United States to designate two of the South American country’s criminal networks as “terrorists”, warning that the label could be a “setback” for local law enforcement efforts. The condemnation came in a 435-word message posted to Lula’s social media platforms on Friday. Recommended Stories list of 3 items end of list In it, Lula drew a line between criminal activities and international terrorism, which is often understood to use violence for political or social aims. “The terror inflicted by these organisations upon communities seeks to generate profit through crime — specifically through drug and arms trafficking,” Lula wrote. Those activities, however violent, “must not be conflated with the ideologically, politically, or religiously motivated actions characteristic of international terrorism”, he added. Lula’s statements came in response to an announcement a day earlier from the administration of US President Donald Trump. Pushback against ‘terrorist’ label On Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio revealed that he had designated Brazil’s two largest criminal groups — the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and the Comando Vermelho (CV) — “specially designated global terrorists”. He also outlined plans to add the two groups to the list of “foreign terrorist organisations”, effective June 5. …