Sue Branford

Former Brazilian president Lula, who helped found the ruling Workers鈥 Party (PT) and governed from 2003鈥2010, took his time to comment on the wave of protests that erupted in mid-June, bringing millions onto the streets. But when he finally gave an interview, he warmly welcomed the protests: 鈥淏razil is living an extraordinary moment in the affirmation of its democracy. We are a very young democracy ... It鈥檚 only to be expected that our society should be a walking metamorphosis, changing itself at every moment.鈥