MEC Asks Federal Police to Investigate Threats Against Students After Election Dispute
Schools and universities report bullying, insults and intimidation over political disagreements after Lula's reelection.
Translated from the Portuguese original by the Panorama newsroom. Read in Portuguese
Summary written by the Panorama newsroom from the sources listed below. Facts are attributed to the original publications.
The Education Ministry told g1 it has asked the Federal Police to investigate threats directed at federal universities, students and teachers. The move follows cases of bullying and insults over political disagreements recorded after President Lula's reelection.
According to the report, the episodes include intimidation, prejudiced comments, exposure of minors' images on social media and even threats of sexual violence. There are reports from public and private schools and from universities in different regions.
In Rio de Janeiro, children who took part in a demonstration had photos taken from their relatives' social media and published on political profiles. One of the images was manipulated with artificial intelligence to ridicule the students. Cases were also reported in São Paulo, Paraná and the Federal District.
Experts interviewed by g1 say that freedom of expression does not justify threats, discrimination or the humiliating exposure of children and teenagers.
Danila Di Pietro, of the Human Rights in Schools Observatory, argues for expanding political education in the school environment and encouraging dialogue and respect for differences.