From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
Subject: BRAZIL Students at Forefront of Anti-Collor Protests
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: PACH
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 08:15:23 GMT

/** reg.samerica: 226.0 **/
** Topic: IPS:BRAZIL-student protest **
** Written  5:41 pm  Oct  5, 1992 by jbinder in cdp:reg.samerica **
From: James Binder <jbinder>
Subject: IPS:BRAZIL-student protest

Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: BRAZIL: THE ''PAINTED FACES'' //SERIES//

an inter press service feature

by gabriel canihuante

rio de janeiro, oct 2 (ips) -- students were in the forefront of
recent protests against corruption in brazil's government which
culminated in the suspension of fernando collor de mello from the
presidency on sep. 29.

thousands of young people marched through the streets of
brazil's main cities. some had their faces painted, others did
not. they waved brazilian flags, danced to the rhythm of the
samba and other beats and demanded the departure of the
president.

the protests were a key factor in the six-month suspension of
collor, university and high school leaders in rio de janeiro told
ips with absolute conviction.

''most of the students knew what they wanted. they were
against corruption, but also against low salaries, the
privatization of education and the high fees charged in private
schools,'' said the chairman of the metropolitan association of
secondary school students, rodrigo guimaraes.

as far as guimaraes is concerned, while it is clear that some
of the youths took to the street as a form of amusement, drawn by
the possibility of appearing on television or in a photograph in
one of brazil's dailies, these were a minority.

the 18-year old student leader, a pupil of the pedro ii
college, one of rio de janeiro's most traditional establishments,
feels that the student mobilization ''must not end with collor's
departure from government.''

''our objective is to keep students mobilized. it is not just
a question of changing names, but also of opposing a neoliberal
project which has to be abandoned by itamar franco,'' who friday
became interim president.

the recession which affects brazil is another factor that has
contributed to the students' participation in the protests since,
guimaraes said, ''even when students do not pay fees they need
money to live.''

the student leader is aware that brazil's political parties
are in no position to make use of the present effervescence to
link the demand for ethics in politics and an end to corruption
to other, more global demands, such as a redistribution of wealth
and social justice. (more)
----


''the effects of the military dictatorship (1964 to 1985) were
profound. linking the immediate demands to other struggles will
be a long-term process,'' he said.

since early august millions of people took to the streets in
various brazilian cities to call for the resignation of collor
and to back the impeachment of the president, who now faces
impeachment by the senate on corruption charges.

political and trade union leaders have recognized that
students played an important role in the demonstrations, which
culminated tuesday with the house of representatives suspending
collor for 180 days, during which time the senate will deal with
his case.

despite the political drama the country faced, the protest
marches were scenes of joy.

students painted the slogan ''collor must go'' or the freedom
sign, used massively by young people in previous decades, on
their faces in green and yellow, the colours of the brazilian
flag.

chanting songs with social and political lyrics and shouting
contagious slogans against corruption, as well as the odd insult
against collor and his family, the students kept their protests
peaceful.

some local analysts feel there is a marked difference between
the august-september protests and student demonstrations in the
1960s and 1970s since, unlike the earlier protests, today's
students have no political ulterior motive.

''there are no ideological commitments linked to marxist
models. but there is democracy,'' said young writer marcelo
rubens paiva, who also recalled that the police repression of the
past decades was absent from the recent demonstrations.

moreover, the press helped the student mobilization against
collor whereas, in the 1960s and 1970s, the communications media
were mostly compromised with the military regime and, caught up
in a ''cold war'' framework, they ''saw the student protests as
bolshevik manipulation,'' paiva said in an article in the ''folha
de sao paulo'' daily.

cassia da rocha leitao, a student at the pontificial catholic
university (puc), feels that most of the students ''are not very
politically aware.'' their intention was not to struggle for
social issues such as agrarian reform or a redistribution of
wealth, but just to wage a ''struggle for morality.''

as a result, students and others who participated in the fight
against corruption might now be left ''without horizons'' since
most of the political parties will be unable to link this crusade
to other causes, she added.

another puc student, leonardo lobato, added that today's
students ''are misinformed, have no political ideology and do not
know what is right and left.'' (more)
----


he said recession was one of the factors which led the young
people to protest: ''it was the children of the middle class who
mobilized themselves because their allowances were reduced.''

however, lobato admitted that a t.v. serial, 'rebel years' run
by the main t.v. network here during the crisis, helped to
stimulate the protest marches.

run for five weeks, the serial portrayed the era of military
regimes in brazil, including the big student protests in the
1960s and 1970s, when guerrillero ernesto che guevara was one of
the idols of latin america's young people.

barbara cotta, a student of journalism, also said that ''rebel
years'' influenced the protests. ''young people do not read and
one of their means of being informed is the television,'' she
told ips. (end/ips/trd/so/gc-er/kb/92)
----


** End of text from cdp:reg.samerica **

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