Brazilian higher education unites in renewed protests against cuts

University staff and students in Brazil have again taken to the streets to protest against threatened cuts to federal higher education spending.

The nationwide protests on 30 May, backed by protestors in the United States and Europe, followed earlier marches on 15 May. The backlash comes after the government proposed 30 per cent cuts to the discretionary budgets of federal universities and the withdrawal of central funding for philosophy and sociology.

The UNE, Brazil’s national student union, claimed that the action on 30 May involved almost 150 coordinated protests in Brazil, the US and Europe. A national general strike against the policies of the administration of president Jair Bolsonaro is planned for 14 June.