BRASILIA/SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in cities across Brazil on Wednesday to rally against education spending freezes in the biggest demonstrations yet against President Jair Bolsonaro, who called marchers “useful idiots and imbeciles.”

Brazil’s National Student Union called for protests against what it called spending cuts, after the Education Ministry said it was freezing nearly a quarter of discretionary spending due to the government’s precarious fiscal situation.

The marches in over 200 cities, according to a count by the Globo TV network, mark the first national protests against the administration of the far-right Bolsonaro, whose poll numbers are falling as he struggles with a weak economy, rising unemployment, an unruly coalition in Congress and infighting within his cabinet.

Speaking in Dallas, Texas, where he traveled to attend a gala dinner, Bolsonaro denied his government had cut education budgets and cast the protests as a partisan spectacle.

“They are useful idiots, imbeciles, who are being used as the maneuvering mass of a clever little minority who make up the nucleus of many federal universities in Brazil,” he said.

A peaceful rally of thousands in central Rio de Janeiro turned violent as the protest was ending, with unknown assailants setting a bus ablaze and shooting fireworks at police, who responded with tear gas to break a crowd up. There was no word on any injuries.

In the capital Brasilia some 7,000 students and university professors marched to Congress, carrying signs against the cuts. One said: “Education is not an expense, it is an investment.” Another read: “Without investment there is no knowledge.”

“Our message to Bolsonaro is that society will not accept these cuts of 30 percent,” said marcher Luis Antonio Pasquetti, head of the National University of Brasilia’s teacher union.

There was no official nationwide crowd estimate available, but the protests were likely the largest such gatherings since the 2016 impeachment of former President Dilma Rousseff.

“The importance is to show that civil society is organized against these cuts,” said Rodrigo Tonieto, 22, in Sao Paulo. “Together, we are going to say ‘no’ to the Bolsonaro government ... To say ‘no’ to the mess that this government is.”

Called to explain the cuts to lawmakers in Congress, Education Minister Abraham Weintraub blamed the situation on the legacy of the previous government, while defending a shift away from spending on universities to favor elementary schools.

“The priority is preschool, elementary school and technical school,” he said. “A scientific, technical, number-based, efficient and managerial approach is vital to save this country from the economic stagnation of the last 20 years that we are living.” </s> Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in cities across Brazil on Wednesday to rally against education spending freezes in the biggest demonstrations yet against President Jair Bolsonaro, who called marchers "useful idiots and imbeciles."

Brazil's National Student Union called for protests against what it called spending cuts, after the Education Ministry said it was freezing nearly a quarter of discretionary spending due to the government's precarious fiscal situation.

The marches in over 200 cities, according to a count by the Globo TV network, mark the first national protests against the administration of the far-right Bolsonaro, whose poll numbers are falling as he struggles with a weak economy, rising unemployment, an unruly coalition in Congress and infighting within his cabinet.

Speaking in Dallas, Texas, where he traveled to attend a gala dinner, Mr Bolsonaro denied his government had cut education budgets and cast the protests as a partisan spectacle.

"They are useful idiots, imbeciles, who are being used as the maneuvering mass of a clever little minority who make up the nucleus of many federal universities in Brazil," he said. </s> Tens of thousands of students and teachers protested across Brazil in "defense of education" on Wednesday in response to a raft of budget cuts announced by President Jair Bolsonaro's government.

Classes were suspended in federal universities and secondary schools across Brazil's 27 states in the first nationwide protests against the far-right president since he took office on January 1.

Protesters flocked onto the streets in Brazil's biggest cities including Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte, in marches that grew steadily larger as the day wore on.

The budget cuts feature a 30 percent reduction in subsidies paid to state-owned universities.

Bolsonaro blasted the protesters as being "useful idiots manipulated by an expert minority that makes up the heart of federal universities in Brazil."

He accused leftist militants of stoking the protests.

Speaking from Texas -- where he was to receive an award from the US-Brazil Chamber of Commerce -- Bolsonaro defended his education policy, saying he had inherited "a Brazil that was destroyed economically."

He added that necessary budget cuts had been "lower than forecast."

Some 15,000 protesters marched in the capital Brasilia, while 20,000 took part in demonstrations in the northern city of Belem, according to police.

Organizers said 70,000 people marched in the leftist stronghold of Salvador in the northeast.

Isolated incidents were reported. Police used tear gas to disperse protesters in the southern city of Porto Alegre, and a bus was set on fire at the end of the march in Rio.

"I have a master's degree and a post-doctorate in energy. If someone is an idiot in this story, it's not me," said Mariana Moura, a 38-year-old protester in Sao Paulo, angered at Bolsonaro's criticism.

"Without science there is no health, or work. We are here fighting for Brazil to continue producing knowledge. Without money, there is no knowledge," said Moura, a researcher.

"Unfortunately, education is not a priority. That's why I'm here today to fight for public education," said Alessandra Roscoe, a writer, as she took part in the protest in Brasilia.

"Class today is in the street," read one banner in Rio. Demonstrators chanted: "Either stop the cuts or we stop Brazil."

Organizers estimated up to 150,000 people had taken to the streets in a massive demonstration in Sao Paulo, Brazil's economic capital and biggest city, where protesters chanted the slogan: "Books Yes, Weapons No."

Education Minister Abraham Weintraub -- who sparked the protests by slashing the federal university subsidies -- was forced to defend his policy in Congress.

Weintraub insisted the government "is not responsible for the disaster of basic education in Brazil."

He warned that "university autonomy is not sovereignty. Universities have to respect the laws."

Since assuming the presidency, Bolsonaro has been on an ideological campaign to promote his ultraconservative ideas and values, and to erase any trace of the 2003-2016 leftist Workers Party government -- including what he called "cultural Marxism" -- from classrooms.

Eduardo Bolsonaro, one of the president's three lawmaker sons, accused the Workers Party of being behind Wednesday's massive street protests.

The reaction to the education cuts combined with international trade tensions worried the markets, with the Sao Paulo Stock Exchange hitting its lowest level since January 3.

Several chief education officers claimed the budget cuts would compromise the ability of federal universities to operate and threatened to paralyze them.

A sudden suspension of financing for masters degrees and doctorate scholarships in the sciences and human sciences last week threw oil on the fire.

Although the cuts affect only federal institutions, the protest movement has been joined by many private universities such as Rio's Pontifical University, which voted last week to join the nationwide demonstration. </s> Brasilia: Tens of thousands of protesters have gathered in 200 cities across Brazil to rally against education spending cuts in the biggest demonstrations yet against far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who called marchers "useful idiots and imbeciles."

Brazil's National Student Union called for protests after the Education Ministry said it was freezing nearly a quarter of discretionary spending due to the government's precarious fiscal situation.

Federal education officials this month announced budget cuts of $US1.8 billion ($2.6 billion) for public education, part of a wider government effort to slash spending.

The marches in more than 200 cities, according to a count by the Globo TV network, mark the first national protests against the administration of Bolsonaro, whose poll numbers are falling as he struggles with a weak economy, rising unemployment, an unruly coalition in Congress and infighting within his cabinet. </s> Brasília: Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in dozens of cities in Brazil on Thursday for a second nationwide demonstration in as many weeks over the government’s plan to slash education spending.

 Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro’s government has provoked outrage among students and teachers over its proposal to freeze 30 per cent of discretionary spending for public universities in the second half of this year.

 A suspension of post-graduate scholarships for students in science and the humanities has also fuelled anger.

 Protests began in the capital Brasilia in the morning and spread across the country to about 100 cities and in some cases occupied entire city blocks, according to AFP reporters and local media.

 “The main message is that a 30-per cent cut to education is absurd and makes it impossible for higher education in this country,” said Lina Vilela, a teacher at the Brasilia rally, where protesters held posters with messages such as “Our books and pencils are our weapons.”

 Karina Afonseca said she was protesting against “the intellectual setback” Bolsonaro’s actions would cause in Brazil. “I’m here for those who are poor and deserve the right to quality public education,” social services student Kaio Duarte said.

 “I’m worried that the next generation won’t have all of the rights to education that I have had.”

 In Rio de Janeiro, protesters carried signs describing Bolsonaro as “the enemy of education.” — AFP </s> Show caption Thousands protest in Brazil against education cuts<br> Photograph: Fabio Motta/EPA Brazil Students protest across Brazil over Jair Bolsonaro’s sweeping cuts to education From Amazon cities to small towns in the deep south, demonstrators turned out to condemn funding cuts Tom Phillips , Latin America correspondent Thu 30 May 2019 18.45 EDT Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

Share via Email 3 months old

Tens of thousands of students, academics and teachers have taken to the streets of Brazil for their latest mass protest against what they call far-right president Jair Bolsonaro’s assault on education.

Up and down the country – from Amazon cities to small towns in Brazil’s deep south – demonstrators turned out to condemn Bolsonaro’s highly controversial moves to slash funding for public education and science.

In the capital, Brasília, student protesters were filmed burning an effigy of the Brazilian president while chanting the increasingly common refrain of his opponents: “Hey, Bolsonaro go and get fucked”.

In the northeastern city of Salvador, where a reported 70,000 people marched, one dissenter carried a diabolic caricature of Bolsonaro stamped with the phrase: “Not today Satan”.

Thousands of students marched through downtown Rio with placards reading: “Education isn’t an expense, it is an investment”.

“This isn’t just an attack on universities. It is going to affect all levels of education,” said Rodrigo Iacovini, an urban planner who joined a march in Brazil’s economic capital, São Paulo.

“We knew it would be bad – but not this bad,” Iacovini, 33, said of Bolsonaro’s six-month-old administration. “Unfortunately, they have shown themselves to be not just a conservative government, but a completely incompetent conservative government that is utterly detached from the Brazilian reality.”

Tanisia Maria Almeida, a masters student who demonstrated in the northeastern state of Sergipe, said she was horrified by spending cuts she feared would make it harder for students from poor backgrounds to gain an education.

Thanks to education programs created by the leftist governments of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff – University For All and Science without Borders – Almeida said she had secured a degree in bio-medicine and study in the United States.

“It makes me so sad that if these cuts happen people who – like me – also aren’t from wealthy families, won’t have the same opportunities I had. This really, really upsets me. I see young people … who want to grow but who will be prevented from doing so by these cuts – or they will have to leave the country.”

Bolsonaro swept to a landslide election victory last October, capitalising on widespread anger at the left-wing politicians who presided over Brazil’s worst ever recession and greatest ever corruption scandal.

But six months into the radical populist’s four-year term, opposition is growing with polls showing that about 36% of voters now consider his administration bad or awful, compared to 17% in February.

Moves to dramatically reduce funding for federal universities – unveiled last month by education minister, Abraham Weintraub – have caused particular outrage, prompting what observers call the largest protests against a newly installed Brazilian president in decades.

On 15 May tens of thousands of demonstrators staged nationwide protests against the cuts only to be belittled by Bolsonaro as “useful idiots” and “imbeciles”.

Brazil’s firebrand leader attempted to row back from those characteristically incendiary remarks this week in an interview with Record, a sympathetic Brazilian broadcaster that has emerged as his answer to Trump’s Fox News.

Bolsonaro admitted he had gone too far but again disparaged the protesting students as naive “kids” who were being manipulated by their teachers and “didn’t even know what they were doing”.

Bolsonaro’s critics credit such comments, and the president’s broader offensive against public education, with helping to unify his opponents.

“Today’s demonstrations are part of a growing process of social mobilizations against the Bolsonaro government,” said Juliano Medeiros, the president of Brazil’s leftist Socialism and Liberty party (PSOL).

“Our main message is that Bolsonaro cannot govern with his back turned to Brazilian society.”

Iacovini, who studied at two of Brazil’s top federal universities, said that while education cuts had left him feeling “profoundly demoralized” his spirits had been lifted by the scale of recent anti-Bolsonaro protests.

“It gives me hope that it is possible to resist this government’s regressions … Brazilian people are starting to see that the threat this administration poses is a threat to all of us, not just to others.”

Almeida said she was battling not just the government, but her Bolsonarista relatives too.

“A large part of my family voted for Bolsonaro and they defend what he is doing,” she said. “I just cannot understand how a country that wants to develop starts by cutting something as basic as education.”

Almeida rejected attempts to characterise the protests as a purely left-wing initiative. </s> Rio de Janeiro: Tens of thousands of students and teachers protested across Brazil in “defence of education” on Wednesday in response to a raft of budget cuts announced by President Jair Bolsonaro’s government.

 Classes were suspended in federal universities and secondary schools across Brazil’s 27 states in the first nationwide protests against the far-right president since he took office on January 1.

 Protesters flocked onto the streets in Brazil’s biggest cities including Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte, in marches that grew steadily larger as the day wore on.

 The budget cuts feature a 30 per cent reduction in subsidies paid to state-owned universities.

 Bolsonaro blasted the protesters. He accused leftist militants of stoking the protests.

 Speaking from Texas — where he was to receive an award from the US-Brazil Chamber of Commerce — Bolsonaro defended his education policy, saying he had inherited “a Brazil that was destroyed economically.”

 He added that necessary budget cuts had been “lower than forecast.”

 Some 15,000 protesters marched in the capital Brasilia, while 20,000 took part in demonstrations in the northern city of Belem, according to police.

 Organizers said 70,000 people marched in the leftist stronghold of Salvador in the northeast.

 Isolated incidents were reported. Police used tear gas to disperse protesters in the southern city of Porto Alegre, and a bus was set on fire at the end of the march in Rio.

 Organisers estimated up to 150,000 people had taken to the streets in a massive demonstration in Sao Paulo, Brazil’s economic capital and biggest city, where protesters chanted the slogan: “Books Yes, Weapons No.”

 Education Minister Abraham Weintraub — who sparked the protests by slashing the federal university subsidies — was forced to defend his policy in Congress.

 Weintraub insisted the government “is not responsible for the disaster of basic education in Brazil.” — AFP </s> Miguel Schincariol, AFP | Demonstrators protesting education budget cuts take to the streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil, May 30, 2019.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets in dozens of cities in Brazil Thursday for a second nationwide demonstration in as many weeks over the government's plan to slash education spending.

Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro's government has provoked outrage among students and teachers over its proposal to freeze 30 percent of discretionary spending for public universities in the second half of this year.

A suspension of post-graduate scholarships for students in science and the humanities has also fueled anger.

Protests began in the capital Brasilia in the morning and have since spread across the country to more than 80 cities, local media reported.

"The main message is that a 30 percent cut to education is absurd and makes it impossible for higher education in this country," said Lina Vilela, a teacher at the Brasilia rally where protesters held posters with messages such as "Our books and pencils are our weapons."

Karina Afonseca said she was protesting against "the intellectual setback" Bolsonaro's actions would cause in Brazil.

"I'm here for those who are poor and deserve the right to quality public education," social services student Kaio Duarte said.

"I'm worried that the next generation won't have all of the rights to education that I have had."

In Rio de Janeiro, protesters carried signs describing Bolsonaro as "the enemy of education."

"We can't simply pretend everything is OK -- it is not OK," said university student Isadora Duarte, 24.

Tens of thousands protested across Brazil on May 15 -- the first nationwide demonstration since Bolsonaro took power in January, which underscored growing opposition to the embattled president.

Bolsonaro, who has railed against socialism as he seeks to promote his ultraconservative ideas, described the May 15 protesters as "useful idiots" and accused leftist militants of stoking the rallies.

But Thursday's turnout could be lower after the government said it would free up 1.59 billion reais in funding (about $400 million) for the sector.

Thursday's demonstrations come after thousands of pro-Bolsonaro protesters marched in cities across Brazil on Sunday in a show of support for the leader, who has seen his popularity plummet in his first five months in office.

Among their demands was for Congress to speed up approval of the government's stalled pension overhaul, seen as key to unlocking other much-needed reforms that are crucial to kick-starting economic growth. </s> Sao Paulo, Brazil - Tens of thousands of students, teachers and researchers across Brazil took to the streets on Wednesday to protest against government cuts and spending freezes to the education budget.

Brazil's National Student Union called for protests after the Ministry of Education said it was freezing nearly a quarter of discretionary spending due to budget restrictions across public services because of the current financial crisis in the country.

But scholars across Brazil accuse President Jair Bolsonaro of waging an ideological attack against education, and of using budget cuts to pressure congressmen to approve a much-anticipated but controversial pension reform.

"This protest is against what is happening at MEC," said Celso Napolitano, president of the Federation of Teachers of Sao Paulo (FEPESP). "The cuts in federal universities mean a death strike in the scientific production in Brazil."

Protests took place in 27 cities across the country. Online, the hashtag "education tsunami" trended throughout the day.

'My weapon is my education'

In Sao Paulo thousands of protesters occupied the city centre for hours, chanting "Bolsonaro Out", and holding signs reading "my weapon is my education".

Marcus Vinicius, 19, was part of a large group of students from the University of Sao Paulo, one of the leading institutions in the country.

"The minister says we only party, then I want to invite him to come to our school and see what we produce every day," Vinicius told Al Jazeera, referring to the Minister of Education's statement that universities are in "shambles".

Vinicius is studying public management and says his university has already made cuts to research, especially for post-graduates. "The 'party' we do is being here, protesting for education for our country, so that there is more inclusion, and people that really need public universities can have access to it," he added.

Just a few metres away, Letícia Coelho and other teachers looked on the protests and their students. A group dressed in blue protested in defence of the "survival of oceanography" courses, while others wearing black t-shirts rallied for law courses and departments.

"It touches me to see them here but it also makes me really sad that we still have to be fighting for education in 2019," Coelho told Al Jazeera. She is an art history professor at the Federal University of Sao Paulo, and said many of her students come from lower classes and are the first generation of their families attending school.

"That makes it extra hard," she said. "I think these cuts are scandalous and go against a long policy of investment in federal universities."

'Contingencies'

In a congressional hearing about MEC's decision, Education Minister Abraham Weintraub said, "There are no cuts, only contingencies".

He said the "contingencies" were part of a government austerity plan and that all funds could be reinstated "if the economy records any growth". Opposition politicians accused Weintraub and the government of using budget cuts as "blackmail" to move their agenda forward.

In Brazil, the budget for universities is divided into mandatory expenses, such as salaries and pensions, which the government cannot reduce, and "discretionary" expenses, which includes water and electricity bills, housing for foreign students or maintenance work.

The recently announced cuts will slash 30 percent of funds to the discretionary expenses budget. This represents a cut of about $1.8bn, or 3.4 percent of the total annual budget for universities, according to MEC.

"The minister says the cuts only regard water and electricity bills, considered 'non-mandatory', but a university cannot run without water or light," Napolitano said.

"Because those expenses have to be covered, and the council of deans have said this, they will have to end up cutting their financing for scientific research," he added.

Funding for federal universities has been on a steady decline for years. A report by the news channel G1, using government data, revealed that more than 90 percent of all federal universities in Brazil have had their budgets reduced since 2013. The study found the decline in funding reached an average of 28 percent, although student enrolment went up 10 percent.

Investment in education has been a constant debate in Brazil, with pictures of schools with no light, holes in the roofs or cracks on the walls, constantly circulating on social media. For many, the announced budget cuts will deteriorate an already overwhelmed education system.

Bolsonaro and many of his ministers have criticised what they say goes on in public universities, often suggesting students use drugs and party instead of studying.

Earlier this month, during a Facebook Live broadcast, Bolsonaro said the money cut from federal universities will be reinvested in primary education, calling the education system in Brazil "a house with an excellent roof but rotten walls".

As thousands took to the streets across the country, Bolsonaro arrived in Dallas, Texas, for an event.

Talking to reporters at the Dallas airport, Bolsonaro called those protesting "useful idiots and imbeciles" and that most were "militants with nothing in their hands".

The government's plan also includes freezing 3,500 post-graduate scholarships across the country, which represent an investment of $12.5m. A representative of MEC's office for post-graduate studies (CAPES) told Al Jazeera the money "will not be re-invested somewhere else", but that "if the economy recovers, the idea is that all scholarships are reinstated". Until then, no new scholarships will be given.
Hundreds of thousands of students, schoolteachers, and university professors hold demonstrations across Brazil's biggest cities in opposition to large cuts in the education budget. From Dallas, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro calls demonstrators "stupid."