Brazilian Leader Heckled at World Social Forum Rally

But even as he addressed delegates to the World Social Forum, an annual conference of activists and thinkers from around the globe, a determined group of about 50 radicals heckled the leader of Latin America's largest country. They ridiculed him as a traitor to the left-wing causes he has espoused.

"Dump Lula!" they chanted, in a scene unimaginable two years ago, when he was given a hero's welcome here as Brazil's first working-class president. His supporters responded by trying to shout down the dissenters.

The tumult overshadowed what was meant to be a mass rally to launch an initiative by the Global Call to Action Against Poverty, an international coalition of charities and other civic organizations. Lula, as the biggest name there, was expected to join in urging wealthy nations to cancel foreign debts, establish fairer trade agreements and fulfill aid pledges they have made.

"The rich must understand that we will never have a peaceful world unless we tackle poverty," Lula told an audience of several thousand in a sports arena.

But amid boisterous booing from protesters, and to the annoyance of some of the event's organizers, Lula used most of his half-hour speech to defend his domestic policies, while cheering members of his Workers' Party turned his appearance into something resembling a campaign rally.

Responding to critics who complain that he has followed Wall Street's orders and pushed through policies inimical to workers and the poor, Lula pointed to economic indicators showing impressive gains in employment and exports in the second half of 2004.

"One day, they'll mature and we'll be waiting with open arms to welcome them," Lula said in a jab at the hecklers, most of them young people, whom he characterized as "sons and daughters of the Workers' Party who rebelled."

Planners of the morning rally had hoped Lula would devote more of his time to championing their new anti-poverty drive, unveiled a day after French President Jacques Chirac urged political and financial leaders gathered for the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to take stronger action against poverty and disease.