For the third time the peasants of the Nova Esperança Camp, in Nova Brasilândia, Rhondônia faced an invasion by Military Police and a failed eviction attempt, the latest on November 15. The peasants, who have been working the land in the area for the past seventeen years, established contact with the League of Poor Peasants and planned a “People’s Cut” (in reference to the peasants’ tactic of cutting or separating the land into multiple plots to distribute among the families). In spite of the fact that the Military Police act without a court order in the direct service of the big landlords, no legal action has been taken against them by the Old-State.
The families living and working Nova Esperança Camp indicate that the land is public, and while the so-called landowner possesses a bill of sale, he does not own the title to the land. The People’s Cut is set to establish division of the occupied land among the families, complete with the delivery of titles organized by the peasant organizations. This will allow greater cultivation and construction of houses and other structures. The evictions, violence, and intimidation on the part of the rich landowners keeps the peasantry in a state of instability increasing poverty in the countryside, and it is through their own organization and contact with the League of Poor Peasants in the fight for land that the families can attain better production, better administration, and defense against the big landlords.
The Quilombolas in Minas Gerais, Black Brazilians who live in settlements established by escaped slaves, have also been building ties with the League of Poor Peasants, as their community leaders and people have come under increased attack from the big landlords. This month the Quilombolas report attempts to murder their leaders. The increase in violence, according to the peasants and their leaders in the area, is directly connected to the lack of regulation which make land grabs—the theft of land from the peasants by the big landlords—and eviction possible.
Resistance to the ruling class and decomposing Old-State extends to the cities too, with the medical staff and residents of Feijjó holding protests in demand of healthcare improvements to the local hospital. The protesters blocked a local bridge calling for urgent improvements to the hospital. Improvements have been stalled by bureaucratic inefficiency, corruption, and lack of regulations. This creates poor services for the people, harsh working conditions for the staff and overall does its part to increase the poverty of the people. The protest with support from the local masses seeks to not only force the completion of repairs but improve and expand the hospital in the service of the people.
Education professionals have gone on a massive strike in Rio de Janeiro on November 15, assembling to protest outside of the court resulting in a march to city hall. Along the way the protesters shut down several roadways and faced down police repression. The catalyst for the strike is the increasing attacks on the rights of educators. The teachers face loss of sick days, loss of vacation time, increases in workload, cuts to wages, and a decrease in time allowed for preparation of courses—attacks on education professionals which result in decreasing the quality of education available to the people. The educators and their supporters call the new law the “package of evil” and vow to continue fighting it with what they indicate is the largest educators’ assemblies since 2013.
The teachers act not only in their own interests but in the interests of their students, and have received support from the people’s student organizations. The Old-State responded with deploying police shock battalions, who unleashed gas, pepper spray, and direct physical assaults on the educators who showed resolve in the face of their reactionary assailants.
High school students in Santos, São Paulo occupied their state school on November 19, struggling against the “New Brazilian Secondary Education Reform”, which has faced protests from students and teachers since its announcement in 2017, as well as against cuts to education budgets and the privatization and selling-off of state schools, and a number of secondary demands. The students held their school for 9 hours against assaults by the Military Police, supported by teachers and a people’s lawyer of ABRAPO (Brazilian Association of People’s Lawyers). After their successful occupation, students released a statement committing to struggle to the fulfillment of all their demands, ending the statement with slogans including “Long live the independent and combative movement!” and “For a new wave of high school occupations!”
The workers continue their battles against the 6×1 scale, holding a militant assembly in Porto Alegre; activists and workers gathered and discussed the fight against the 6×1 scale with speakers linking the economic concerns of the workers to problems of the Old-State and the struggle for land in the countryside. After the assembly the activists and workers marched through the center of town, spreading information on the fight to the masses, who received them enthusiastically with applause.
The Worker continues to raise the banner of international solidarity with the justified rebellions in Brazil, extending its unwavering support to their struggle for new democratic revolution and the right to self determination free of imperialism and reaction. We call on our readers to redouble their efforts to express solidarity and support the struggles in Brazil over the coming months, and to send reports and contributions to our email.
Featured image: the teacher’s assembly in Rio, voting to strike
