education

Brazil police tear-gas protest as gov’t freezes school reforms

Ruptly

SÃO PAULO — Brazil police on Friday violently dispersed the latest in a series of protests in São Paulo over plans to shut down 94 schools in the state.

Police used tear gas and stun grenades to force the gathered crowd, whose march had blocked a major intersection in the city, to clear the streets.

At least 30 people have been detained by police in a string of protests; footage shared on social media also showed at least one student being punched in the face by an officer who had illegally removed his identification.

Shortly after Friday’s violence, however, came a victory of sorts: São Paulo governor Geraldo Alckmin announced that the government’s plans to reorganise the state’s schools had been suspended until next year, drawing jubilant scenes from protesters at the tail-end of their march.

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VIDEO: Violence mars São Paulo schools protest

SÃO PAULO — A protest by students and teachers from Brazil’s São Paulo state descended into violence on Thursday when masked protesters, claiming to be Black Bloc anarchists, attacked the entrance to the local government headquarters.

The violence came after around 1,500 people had marched seven kilometres from Faria Lima to the Palácio dos Bandeirantes, in the sweltering heat, to protest the restructuring of the state’s public schools.

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Brazil inequality, unemployment buck improving trend

Anadolu Agency

SÃO PAULO — Brazil saw increases in unemployment and inequality in 2013, according to new official figures released Thursday by the country’s office of national statistics, the IBGE.

Brazil’s Gini Index, a measure of inequality by income distribution, rose from 0.496 in 2012 to 0.498 in 2013, where ‘zero’ represents perfect equality. The increase breaks a years-long downward trend in inequality experienced since 2001, when it was 0.563.

[Important update 19 Sept: The IBGE later announced it had made “serious errors” in some of its calculations, the most noteworthy of which being the Gini Index, which in fact fell to 0.495 in 2013. The IBGE said this still constituted a “stagnation”. The government has called for an inquiry into the errors.]

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Brazil strikes threaten chaos ahead of World Cup

Anadolu Agency

SÃO PAULO – A wildcat strike by bus drivers in São Paulo continued for a second day on Wednesday, with many commuters struggling to reach workplaces and schools.

Drivers and conductors from five bus companies continued their walkout and protested at various locations, with buses lined up to block bus lanes and at least nine of 28 bus terminals out of action by early Wednesday evening.

The stoppages come just three weeks ahead of the World Cup, with other public workers also on strike with more threatening walkouts in the coming days that could weigh on the sporting mega-event.

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Violence against women in spotlight in Brazil

Anadolu Agency

SÃO PAULO – A viral social media campaign against rape and sexual harassment that spawned nationwide protests in Brazil is giving Brazil’s feminists fresh support, which they intend to use to change the way Brazil’s schoolchildren are taught women’s rights.

The surge in support was sparked by the shocking findings of a study published on 27 March by the Institute of Applied Economic Research (IPEA) on the attitudes of Brazilians towards sexual harassment and rape.

The research found 65% of the 3,810 people surveyed agreed, partly or completely, with the statement: “Women who used clothes that show off their body deserve to be attacked.”

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