Janaína Paschoal finds protest against Haddad 'fair'

Janaína Paschoal, a member of the São Paulo State Legislative Assembly and a university lecturer for many years, argued that the protests against Fernando Haddad, a pre-candidate for the state of São Paulo, during his class at Unicamp were 'fair'. In a statement on her social media account, Paschoal compared the protest of Haddad's lesson by members of MBL (Movimento Brasil Livre) and the Missão party to the freedom enjoyed by PT and PSOL members on campuses. Although Paschoal stated that she does not like anyone being prevented from speaking or being harassed, she expressed that Haddad's situation needs to be evaluated from a different perspective. This incident once again brought to light that university campuses have become the center of political debates and demonstrations in Brazilian politics. The hashtags and discussions initiated on social media following the event show how deep the political polarization in the country is.

At the center of the event is an intervention aimed at the 'aula magna' (open lecture) session given by Haddad at Unicamp University. When Haddad began his lesson, Matheus Pereira (aka Matheus Campinas), a candidate for the São Paulo State Legislative Assembly from the Missão party, entered the hall and bombarded Haddad with questions, attempting to prevent him from speaking. Pereira and his group questioned Haddad's past performance as former Minister of Education and Minister of Finance and aimed to protest the economic decisions the government had taken recently. Meanwhile, other students and participants in the hall tried to stop the group and ensure silence, but the tension escalated into a fight. In published videos, Pereira is seen being effectively brought to the ground by someone as he was being removed from the hall. This physical fight caused the event to be widely covered in the media and led to differing interpretations.

Following the clash, both sides put forth very different narratives about the event and shifted the blame for the incident onto each other. Pereira, expressing himself, claimed that they never intended to start a fight, they only had questions they wanted to ask, and that they were immediately physically assaulted upon entering the hall. Pereira positioned himself as a victim by alleging he was beaten by an event participant and a university employee. In response, the Unicamp Student Center (DCE) issued a joint statement arguing that the protesters' main intention was to provoke and cause chaos. According to the DCE's claim, the aggression came entirely from right-wing groups, and the events were quickly brought under control with the protesters being removed from inside. These contrasting statements reflect the political dynamics of the region and the tension in the university environment, while fueling the debate over which side was the aggressor.

This event did not remain just a tension within the university but started a debate involving Brazil's current economic and political agenda. One of the main issues raised by the protesters was the tax known as 'blusinhas vergisi', which had caused major debates in previous periods. This tax was a 20% federal tax applied to international purchases under 50 US dollars and had recently been abolished by the Lula government. The protesters stated that they wanted to question how Haddad managed such economic policies during his time at both the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Education and their impact on the public. Other party candidates, such as Gabriel Piauhy, also escalated the tension by making allegations that Haddad's security team followed another candidate, Caio Santana, in a similar manner. These allegations were considered part of the process of political rivals tracking and trying to hinder each other.

Consequently, this incident at Unicamp may go down in history as a harsh example of the polarization in Brazilian politics leading up to the 2026 elections. This protest, which took place in an academic setting, showed how vulnerable and open to criticism political leaders can be in public. Figures like Janaína Paschoal calling the event 'fair' draws support from conservative circles, while Haddad and his supporters view such actions as disrespectful to academic freedom. University administrations and student organizations may seek stricter security and rules to keep campuses away from political conflicts. However, economic uncertainties and the political atmosphere in Brazil indicate that similar controversial events may continue to increase and public opinion may become even more divided on these issues. Such events clearly reveal how the methods of criticism directed at politicians can undermine social consensus.