Editor’s note: The dealings of corporate overlords to privatize the water utilities of São Paulo are atrocious. We are proud of our Brazilian comrades in Unidade Popular pelo Socialismo for standing up against this crime against the people. It is unacceptable that four UP protestors were brutalized and arrested by police for their action of disrupting the vote to privatize an essential public utility.
This was originally published in the Partido Comunista Revolucionário’s newspaper, A Verdade. Translated from Portuguese.
BRAZIL — On Wednesday Dec. 6, the São Paulo State Legislative Assembly voted on the privatization of SABESP, the state water and sewage company. Popular Unity activists were at the session fighting against the Tarcísio de Freitas government’s privatization project and were repressed by the state police.
During the session, in the midst of the demonstrations, the state police acted truculently against the militants, repressing those present, leaving several people injured and arbitrarily arresting the state president of Unidade Popular in São Paulo, Vivian Mendes. Vivian was arbitrarily arrested while trying to stop the police from attacking two other party activists, Hendryll Luis (União da Juventude Rebelião) and Lucas Carvente. At the moment, all three are being held inside the São Paulo State Legislative Assembly.
The actions of the Tarcísio government’s police demonstrate the way in which the fascist governor acts against social movements. The fascist governor acts to repress strikes and the organization of the people against his privatist and rights-restricting projects. Today, in the São Paulo State Legislative Assembly, was another example of this.
The fascist Tarcísio cannot prevent and intimidate people from organizing against the advance of his agenda of privatization and restriction of rights.
The party is calling on all its militants and other social movements to continue mobilizing there, against privatization and for the freedom of those fighting for the rights of the people.
Categories: Brazil, International, Police Brutality
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