Brazil: leftist militants assault liberal students at the UNE Biennial

Leftist militants assaulted liberal students on Thursday, 2, at the National Union of Students (UNE) Biennial in Rio de Janeiro.

The targets of violence comprise the group Union Youth and Freedom (UJL), which defends the free manifestation of ideas and free market capitalism.

As they were leaving the event, the militants ripped a flag off the back of a UJL member. Another UJL member tried to retrieve the flag but was eventually caught by the leftists.

The Gadsden Flag, the target of the militants’ fury, originated in the United States and represented libertarian values.

It was created in 1775 by politician Christopher Gadsden, one of the main leaders of the American Revolution.

Members of the UJL reported that the assaults began when the group held up the Gadsden Flag and began chanting pro-liberty shouts.

Likewise, the left-wing activists held up their flags and defended collectivist agendas.

The security guards at the venue asked everyone to stop the commotion since the building where the event was taking place was old.

Afterward, the leftist militants and liberal students left the UNE Biennial.

On the way out, members of the Revolutionary Youth Movement and the Correnteza Movement approached the UJL members and ripped the Gadsden Flag off student Gabriel Pavanato, 21.

He was the target of kicks and punches but did not suffer serious injuries.

The young man filed a complaint and registered an occurrence report.

In a statement, the libertarian organization Students for Liberty Brasil condemned the aggressions against the liberal students.

“It is unacceptable that members of UJL have suffered attacks simply for publicly positioning themselves in defense of freedom,” it criticized.

“Everyone must guarantee the right of free expression and everyone’s duty to condemn any act of violence against those who take a political stand. There is no place for violence and oppression in environments that claim to be democratic, especially in an event designed to map and present what is most interesting in culture, art, science, and technology inside and outside Brazilian universities.”

Students For Liberty Brasil said it is against “any violent action that will harm the freedom of expression of any person or group.”

“We hope that the responsible authorities take the appropriate measures to ensure the safety of participants in future events and to hold accountable those who committed such acts of violence,” it added.

With information from Revista Oeste

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