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Brazil high court against police action in public universities
BRASILIA, Nov 1, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Brazil’s Supreme Court Wednesday ruled
that military police should not intervene on public university campuses,
after they launched campus operations against students who oppose far-right
president elect Jair Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro, elected in a runoff vote on Sunday, campaigned on a platform
that included promises to crack down on violent crime while expanding gun
rights.
During the court hearing, the nine magistrates said police action on
university campuses should stop, because it affects freedom of expression and
thought at the universities.
The ruling sets a precedent just as tensions are running high before
Bolsonaro is sworn in.
“There is no democratic right without respect of freedoms,” said Judge
Carmen Lucia Antunes, who was rapporteur for the case.
“The only legitimate force that can invade universities is that of free and
plural ideas; any other is tyranny,” she added.
Bolsonaro takes office in Latin America’s biggest nation and largest
economy in January.
BSS/AFP/MR/ 1030 hrs