Brasilia, June 4 (RHC)-- Brazilian university professors, researchers and students, joined by the general population, have rejected the moves to destroy social gains achieved during the Workers' Party governments by far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.

Last month, Brazil's Education Minister Abraham Weintraub announced a 30 percent cut to the federal education budget, stressing that the first institutions affected by the measure are those that provoke public "mayhem" like the University of Brasilia (UNB), the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), and the Fluminense Federal University (UFF).

The next day, the Higher Education Secretary, Arnaldo Barbosa, said that the budget cut would be applied equally among all universities.  The Bolsonaro administration also indicated it would cut some 3,400 scholarships for scientific research and graduate students.

Over the past several weeks, trade union centers, social movements and progressive political parties announced their support for universities and rejected the social security reform bill, a proposal which aims to privatize the pension system.