defender of dictatorships will speak to UFPR freshmen

The Hugo Simas Academic Center, from the Faculty of Law of the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), invited the historian and militant of the Brazilian Communist Party (PCB), Jones Manoel, to participate in a lecture on democracy, on March 20, during freshman week. Jones Manoel is a defender of dictatorships, the death penalty in socialist revolutions and ideas such as the need to “hate” and attack “the bourgeoisie”, “the bosses”, politicians, conservatives, ministers of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), etc. .

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Manoel will participate in the panel “Memory, truth and justice: facing the past for a new spring”, which aims to discuss the “Brazilian democratic crisis provoked by the rise of conservative and neo-fascist ideals that catalyzed the violent attempt at a coup d’état on the 8th of January 2023”. The panel relates “bolsonarism” and “conservatism” with the “democratic crisis”.

When contacted, the Academic Center has yet to respond to the reasons why a defender of dictatorships and violence could contribute to an event on democracy.

The radical nature of Manoel’s speeches is well known. In September 2020, the PCB militant gained notoriety after Caetano Veloso called him a “guru”. Before that, many of his anti-democratic demonstrations in favor of dictators like Josef Stalin and violence against people with different ideas from his were already known.

In one of his best-known videos, Jones Manoel defends the death penalty in socialist revolutionary processes. In the content, the militant cites procedures of former Cuban dictator Fidel Castro to justify violence. “Using red terror measures against counterrevolutionaries, historically, that’s valid.”

More recently, in another video, he stated that one of the fundamental tasks of leftist militancy would be to “stimulate class hatred”, so that workers wake up every day “wanting to skin the boss”. On the same occasion, Jones Manoel said that it would be necessary to “wake up every day wanting to grab each of those STF ministers by the hair”.

Freshman week has no room for contradictions

The other panels of the freshman week, which runs until March 24, also draw attention for presenting left-wing flags, without the right to contradictory. The titles of the meetings bring criticism to the Labor Reform, to the investigations of the Lava Jato Operation, among others.

It is not known whether there will be space for manifestations contrary to the theses of the Academic Center, with openness to respectful dialogue. In March 2022, the mere announcement of a documentary with a conservative bias was the target of protests from the Academic Center itself, from teachers, students and even digital militias.

On the other hand, there is a lack of panels on current affairs, such as arbitration, business law, violations of the Constitution’s ironclad clauses, threats to the role of the Public Ministry, risks to freedom of expression, among others.