Tens of thousands of students and teachers from across Brazil have demonstrated in "defense of education" after spending freezes were announced by the government of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.

 

 Classes at universities and colleges were suspended in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia and 17 of the country's 27 states on Wednesday, local media reported. Government soldiers were seen guarding the Education Ministry in the capital, Brasilia.

Protesters said Education Minister Abraham Weintraub's decision to cut federal university subsidies by 30% would undermine the ability of universities to fulfill their mandate.

The Education Ministry also announced last week that it would suspend scholarship payments to postgraduate students in the sciences.

"Secondary school pupils, university students, researchers, teachers and other education employees will take to the streets in every state," the National Student Union (UNE) said ahead of the demonstrations.

Bolsonaro, who was attending an event in Dallas, Texas, called the protesters "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."

Bolsonaro fired Weintraub's predecessor, Ricardo Velez, in April after he vowed to stamp out "cultural Marxism" and gender-identity "ideology."

Every evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here. </s> Thousands of Brazilians have taken to the streets to protest a decision by the government of President Jair Bolsonaro to slash education funds.

Students and teachers marched Thursday in the cities of Brasilia, Salvador, Recife and Teresina and were planning additional rallies in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo later.

Education Minister Abraham Weintraub said in a video posted on Twitter that the government received complaints that some professors had pressured students to participate in demonstrations.

He said that's "illegal, it can't happen. The school environment can't be harmed by an ideological war that affects students' learning," he said.

University officials have said cuts would likely affect scholarships, utility services and maintenance. </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> RIO DE JANEIRO: Students and teachers from hundreds of universities and colleges across Brazil began a nationwide demonstration on Wednesday (May 15) in "defence of education" following a raft of budget cuts announced by President Jair Bolsonaro's government.

Classes were suspended in numerous establishments as demonstrations took place in 17 of Brazil's 27 states, local media said, with particularly large ones in major cities like Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia and Belo Horizonte.

The biggest demonstrations are planned for the end of the day, though.

In the capital Brasilia, federal troops were deployed in front of the ministry of education in case of trouble.

The protest movement was sparked by Education Minister Abraham Weintraub recently slashing federal university subsidies by 30 per cent.

Several chief education officers claimed the budget cuts would compromise the ability of federal universities to function, and threatened to paralyse them.

Then the sudden suspension of the payment of masters and doctorate scholarships in the sciences and human sciences last week threw oil on the fire.

"Secondary school pupils, university students, researchers, teachers and other education employees will take to the streets in every state" to protest against the budget cuts, the National Student Union (UNE) had announced on Tuesday.

Despite the cuts affecting 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/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> Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Brazil’s capital Thursday following calls 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.

Tens of thousands protested across Brazil on May 15, 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.

Protests began in Brasilia ahead of demonstrations in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and other cities later in the day. “I’m here for those who are poor and deserve the right to quality public education,” social services student Kaio Duarte told AFP in the capital. </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> 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> Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Brazil’s capital Thursday following calls 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.

Tens of thousands protested across Brazil on May 15, 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.

Protests began in Brasilia ahead of demonstrations in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and other cities later in the day.

“I’m here for those who are poor and deserve the right to quality public education,” social services student Kaio Duarte told AFP in the capital.

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

“This protest makes clear that students will never be silenced.”

Thursday’s protests come after thousands of pro-Bolsonaro protesters marched in cities across Brazil on Sunday in a show of support for the embattled leader.

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 economic reforms.
Fifteen days after the first wave of protests, millions of students, schoolteachers and university professors hold demonstrations in over a hundred Brazilian cities against massive cuts in the education budget. Brazilian Education Minister Abraham Weintraub accuses teachers of "coercing" students into participating in the protests.