UFSC repudiates violence against MBL activists, but condemns “organized group invasion”

Hours after four members of the Movimento Brasil Livre (MBL) were beaten on one of the campuses of the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), this Thursday afternoon (13) in Florianópolis, the institution’s management said that it repudiates “any act of violence on its premises, against any person”.

In a note published on the official website, UFSC states that it is still learning the facts to take the appropriate measures, but that it is known so far that there was “unauthorized access and interventions in the building of the Centro de Convivência, a building that is partially inoperative and has areas without conditions of use”.

The area, according to the members of the MBL, was taken over by graffiti with leftist political themes that they went to cover with paint. After leaving, they say, the place was graffitied again, this time with phrases against the MBL, including linking the movement to Nazism.

“The university condemns the action of organized groups, external to the institution, that promote invasions of educational spaces and attitudes that clearly express ignorance of the institutional reality, tarnishing the image of UFSC”, said the institution (see in full).

Still according to UFSC, the work was stopped and will be resumed soon after having resources reallocated in the 2023 budget.

Israel Russo, press officer for the MBL, says that the “organized group outside” the university set up an ambush against members of the movement, with one of the criminals carrying a knife and the others in possession of pieces of wood. Two cell phones, a microphone and a pair of glasses were stolen by the vandals.

“In the case of João Bettega [um dos integrantes do
MBL], it was an attempted murder. We have already identified five of them, which will face the consequences. They will not go unpunished,” said Israel.

The action of MBL members is part of a project to denounce vandalism of public property by left-wing activists in public universities. Last week, the project began with the repainting of the Department of Philosophy at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), taken over by political graffiti.

There was no record of assaults there. “We recently started in Rio Grande do Sul and the idea is to travel from the South to the North, visiting several federal universities. The project will continue. We even intend to return to UFSC”, concluded Russo.