AUTHOR

Winnie Overbeek

Winnie Overbeek is an environmental activist working on forest protection, environmental justice and the rights of forest-dependent peoples. As International Coordinator of the World Rainforest Movement, he works with Indigenous peoples and peasant communities to defend their territories, livelihoods, cultures and collective rights.

2 stories

News · 30 Oct 2026

Brazil after Victory: Reflections on the Victory of the Brazilian People on 25 October

Writing the day after Lula’s victory, Winnie Overbeek reflects on the three weeks of mobilisation that transformed Brazil’s runoff election. Youth-led street protests, the rapid growth of the “Lula Army” on WhatsApp, alternative media investigations and renewed face-to-face political organising helped build a broad anti-Bolsonaro front. For Overbeek, the result revealed political energy extending beyond the Workers’ Party itself. The central question now is whether Lula will govern in response to that mobilisation or return to accommodation with Brazil’s elites.

News · 25 Oct 2026

Brazilian Politics at a Crossroads

Written as Brazil entered the decisive second round of its presidential election, this article captures a country divided by fear, hope and conviction. Flávio Bolsonaro had led the first round, while progressive forces rallied behind Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Reporting from Brazil, Winnie Overbeek examines the tensions and mobilisation shaping the contest. Within hours of publication on 25 October, Lula was declared the winner. The election settled who would govern, but not the questions of democracy, inequality and power.