Lula was a key figure in bringing down the military dictatorship and the return to democracy in Brazil. He's participated in every single liberation struggle that's taken place in Brazil since the 1970s - women's rights, LGBT rights, Afro-Brazilian rights, labor rights. He was a very conciliatory figure, not a radical leftist at all. A lot of people criticize him for not being left enough. The idea that he's a radical populist - these are the flames they're trying to fan in the northern media because capitalist businesses that bankroll the New York Times are terrified that someone is going to take power back in Brazil and start undoing all the illegal privatizations that have benefited US companies.