New Brazil Bulletin #15

The Struggle for Land

On May 24, an invasion of the Apyterewa Indigenous Land was attempted by latifundium-hired gunmen. Particularly notable is that the National Indigenous People Foundation and the so-called National Public Security Force—the government entity allegedly formed to combat land-related violence—were present yet did nothing to stop the attack.

On May 21, the Brazilian senate approved a bill that removes licensing needed for landlords to seize land in favor of “self-licensing” that removes specialized bodies from the process. This bill gives rise to both deforestation of environmental reserve areas and stealing land from the peasantry and indigenous, giving companies free range over Brazil’s natural resources when they previously had to be handed to the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, an agency that specializes against deforestation.

Similarly, on May 28, the Senate approved a Bolsonarist-written decree that suspends land demarcation in indigenous lands in the State of Santa Catarina, an attack on the struggle for land.

Over 360 officers and 30 vehicles from Rondônia’s military police have been deployed to various municipalities throughout May as part of the so-called “Rural Security Program”, the program created to fight against the agrarian revolution alongside the latifundium. Roughly 10,000 rural properties are registered with the police, allowing for close latifundium—military police communication.

Workers’ and Peoples’ Struggle

On May 8, construction workers initiated a strike, mobilizing 4,000 workers on May 12, calling for the fulfillment of workers’ demands and denouncing poor working conditions at construction sites. On May 13, workers mobilized at a construction site, calling on the workers to go on strike. On May 14, three thousand workers again mobilized as part of the strike.

On May 13, Manaus residents protested against police violence by setting up flaming barricades on roads. In Manaus, military police have been reported to shoot indiscriminately, not concerned for the safety of civilians. Protesters demanded the ousting of the notoriously-abusive military police captain Dilson Castro.

Throughout May, residents of Pirapora do Bom Jesus have protested against the installation of a massive landfill in the city, which will threaten both the environment and the health of the masses that live near it.

On May 15, protesters in Rio de Janeiro demonstrated against water privatization, an issue that is occurring country-wide, resulting in especially poor water quality at exorbitant bills.

On May 16, residents of the favelas of Osasco protested against their mayor’s policies of forced eviction and underdeveloped infrastructure, which presently lacks consistent paving, water, and electricity.

On May 19, residents of Conjunto Vale do Reginaldo, in Maceio, protested against lack of government response to flooding, setting up burning barricades on the road.

On May 26, about 100 São Paulo residents militantly protested against eviction threats, setting up barricades and throwing objects at military police. The Italian energy company Enel aims to seize their land and is collaborating with the military police to threaten eviction of its residents.

Student Struggle

Progressive students have continued to promote the Agrarian Revolution. On May 22, Students at the Federal University of Santa Maria held a screening of Twenty Years Later, a documentary about the life of peasant leader João Pedro Teixeira.

On May 27, the political act “Not one step back: Stop the extermination in Gaza and the Zionist intervention in Brazil” brought over 400 people to the State University of Rio de Janeiro to sign its corresponding manifesto. The manifesto, which over 100 organizations from several different countries have signed, takes on a truly revolutionary character through its open support of the Palestinian national resistance.

On May 29, students and educational workers in Rio de Janeiro protested against budget cuts for education, promoted by Decree 12.448/2025. The decree, signed by opportunist President Luiz Inácio, cuts roughly $470 million from the country-wide education budget. The effects of this are already felt, with the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, for example, getting hit with a funding cut of $3.1 million, resulting in the university no longer paying for fuel costs of student transportation as well as security.

Brazil’s National Situation

Bolsonarists in Congress are promoting a bill that limits the use of body camera footage as evidence in criminal cases. They fallaciously argue that using body camera footage violates the constitutional right against forced self-incrimination. A Nova Democracia (AND), Brazil’s revolutionary newspaper, writes that this is wrong due to the fact that the body camera equipment not only belongs to the state but is also a part of the uniform of a civil servant. In Brazil, police violence against the people has been and continues to be rampant, with at least 6,121 people dying by the hands of police in 2024. The Bolsonarists seek to further allow the police to attack the masses freely with little-to-no consequences from the old State’s justice system.

New material continues to surface against the attempted Bolsonarist coup of 2022, with leaked messages from former commander of the Brazilian Army Freire Gomes revealing that he only did not partake in the coup due to perceived unfavorable conditions for its initiation.

Photo: “We don’t want removal, we want a solution!” Credit: A Nova Democracia

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