MBL student is attacked and prevented from speaking at DCE meeting

State coordinator of the Movimento Brasil Livre (MBL) and third-year economics student at the State University of Londrina (UEL), Gabriel Bertolucci suffered verbal and physical attacks when trying to participate in a meeting promoted with the aim of reopening the facilities of the Central Directory of Students (DCE) from UEL, on October 16th and 17th (see video). The reason was the viralization of a video in which Bertolucci shows the precarious state of the place used by students involved with the DCE, with graffiti, forms for purchasing drugs, vandalized furniture, etc.

Gabriel says that he decided to participate in the meeting with the aim of “returning the DCE to the students”. “We want to open a ticket. I entered the auditorium, sat down, didn’t provoke anyone. They started calling me a fascist, saying they would ‘pick me up in the street’, they even threw orange on my head,” he said.

“They were angry, we managed to close a smoke trap inside the largest state university in Paraná after the repercussion of the video”, he highlights. According to the UEL press office, the episode “was an argument” and “no one complained about it to the campus rectory.”

The report sought representatives from the DCE who could speak on the matter, but was informed that there is no elected management and, therefore, there are no members who can speak out.

Complaint

Gabriel Bertolucci says that the idea of ​​recording and publishing the video denouncing the situation in the DCE building came from his daily observation. “I passed by the place every day and saw people there. When I entered, I found drugs, bottles of alcoholic beverages, tokens for purchasing marijuana, used condoms, a lot of rubbish and broken things, etc. I was distressed by that situation and decided to record the video, which went viral”, says the student.

According to him, the place was closed after the repercussion of the images, when many people started demanding a resolution from the University. However, the UEL Communication Coordination states that the building had already been closed since 2021, but was used precariously by students.

Gabriel disagrees. “It is an objective lie (that the building was closed). I can prove that the DCE itself scheduled a meeting on site in March 2023”, he contests. “It’s an open place! I contacted students who didn’t even know it was closed. The first time I made the video there was nothing covering the entrances. The second time, when we went with TV, they closed some doors but left the back door open. That’s how we got in,” he explains.

Gabriel also questioned UEL’s disregard for the location. “Inspection is the responsibility of the University, not a student”, he complains. In an official note sent to the press, the institution reaffirms that the site has been closed since July 2021, after an inspection by the Campus City Hall (PCU) and issuance of a report by the engineering team, and informs that the building was cleaned in September — after the broadcasting of images produced by the student.

Read an excerpt from the note:

“It is an old wooden structure, which underwent complete cleaning by the PCU, in September this year, and is now isolated again. The Communication Coordination informs that the Rectory of UEL established a Working Group, in December 2022, which includes the participation of members of the Board of Directors, to study the physical spaces of UEL and evaluate how the transfer to the representations should be carried out. of students, considering the historical importance of these bodies such as the Central Directory, Academic Centers, Athletics, Junior Companies and PET Groups.”