By teleSUR
The letter is also signed by the likes of Indian novelist and activist Arundhati Roy, activist and author Naomi Klein and artist Tom Morello.
rom Oliver Stone to Noam Chomnsky, highly influential international artists and intellectuals published a letter condemning the impeachment process against suspended Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff Thursday.
Other than Stone and Chomsky, the other 22 people who signed the petition include U.S. actor Danny Glover, “Lord of the Rings” star Viggo Mortensen and Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon.
“We are concerned about the politically motivated impeachment of the president, which installed an interim unelected government,” the letter reads.
“The legal basis for the ongoing impeachment is widely questionable and there is convincing evidence showing that the main drivers of the impeachment campaign are trying to remove the president in order to stop corruption investigations in which they themselves are involved.”
The signatories of the petition also criticize the interim Temer government’s attack on culture, diversity and human rights.
“We regret that the interim government in Brazil has replaced a diverse ministry, headed by the first female president, by a ministry composed of white men, in a country where the majority identify themselves as black or brown.”
Writers and activists Tariq Ali, Harry Belafonte, Eve Ensler, Naomi Klein and Arundhati Roy also signed the text as well as novelists John Sayles and Michael Ondaatje.
The signatories also state their belief that any impeachment of Rousseff will spark a negative reaction across Latin America if the process is successful.
“Since Brazil is the fifth most populous country in the world, these events are of great importance to all who care about equality and civil rights,” the text reads.
Filmmaker Ken Loach is also one of the signatories, as are the musicians Tom Morello and Brian Eno.
The letter was published in both Portuguese and English.
“We stand in solidarity with our fellow artists and all those who fight for democracy and justice in Brazil.”
Here is the full list of signatories:
Tariq Ali
Harry Belafonte
Noam Chomsky
Alan Cumming
Frances de la Tour
Deborah Eisenberg
Brian Eno
Eve Ensler
Stephen Fry
Danny Glover
Daniel Hunt
Naomi Klein
Ken Loach
Tom Morello
Viggo Mortensen
Michael Ondaatje
Arundhati Roy
Susan Sarandon
John Sayles
Wallace Shawn
Oliver Stone
Vivienne Westwood