Brazilian academics vow to resist threats to freedom

The incidents mentioned here were deplorable and apparently coordinated, but they were very limited in a country of 200 million people. The Climate of hostility to universities and especially to the social science and humanities department is real: Although the new president and his friends have been talking about other things since the election, a significant slice of his electorate believe that universities are open forums For the propagation of undesirable ideas such as ‘gender ideology’, Gay marriage and atheism. This is what the term ‘left wing’ has now come to signify among significant sections of the Brazilian Population. However, the real threat to public universities Is not from the police but from the Ministry of finance which is bound to cut their budgets fiercely. The new government will also probably give further generous support to private schooling and Higher education.