Reports have emerged on social media that more than 20 universities in Brazil have been subjected in recent days to: invasions by military police; the confiscation of teaching materials on ideological grounds; and the suppression of freedom of speech and expression, especially in relation to anti-fascist history and activism.

Freedom of speech in Bolsonaro’s Brazil | Letters Read more

As academics, researchers, graduates, students and workers at universities in the UK, Europe and further afield, we deplore this attack on freedom of expression in Brazil’s universities, which comes as a direct result of the campaign and election of far-right President Bolsonaro.

Academic autonomy is a linchpin not only of independent and objective research, but of a functioning democracy, which should be subject to scrutiny and informed, evidence-based investigation and critique.

We call on co-workers, colleagues and students to decry this attack on Brazil’s universities in the name of Bolsonaro’s wider militaristic, anti-progressive agenda. We will not stand by as this reactionary populist attacks the pillars of Brazil’s democracy and education system. We will campaign vigorously in whatever capacity we can with activists, educators and lawmakers in Brazil to ensure that its institutions can operate without the interference of this new – and hopefully short-lived – government.

Dr William McEvoy, University of Sussex, UK (correspondent)

Dr Will Abberley, University of Sussex

Nannette Aldred, University of Sussex

Patricia Alessandrini, Stanford University, USA

Dr Michael Alexander, University of Glasgow

Steven Allen, Birkbeck, University of London

Dr Katherine Angel, Birkbeck, University of London

Pedro Argenti, University of Antwerp, Belgium

Nick Awde, International Editor, The Stage newspaper, London

Professor Ian Balfour, York University, Toronto, Canada

Lennart Balkenhol, University of Melbourne, Australia

Nehaal Bajwa, University of Sussex

Dr Louis Bayman, University of Southampton

Mark Bergfeld, former NUS NEC (2010-2012)

Professor Tim Bergfelder, University of Southampton

Dr Patricia Pires Boulhosa, University of Cambridge

Dr Maud Bracke, University of Glasgow

Max Brookman-Byrne, University of Lincoln

Dr Conrad Brunström, Maynooth University, Ireland

Dr Christopher Burlinson, Jesus College, Cambridge

Professor Martin Butler, University of Sussex

Professor Gavin Butt, University of Sussex

Cüneyt Çakirlar, Nottingham Trent University

Guilherme Carréra, University of Westminster

Geoffrey Chew, Royal Holloway, University of London

Dr Maite Conde, University of Cambridge

Dr Luke Cooper, Anglia Ruskin University, UK, and Institute of Human Sciences, Vienna, Austria

Dr Sue Currell, University of Sussex

Professor Dimitris Dalakoglou, Vrije University, Amsterdam, Netherlands

William Dalziel, University of Sussex

Dr April de Angelis, Royal Holloway, University of London

Dr Olga Demetriou, Durham University

Dr Stephanie Dennison, University of Leeds

Dr Steffi Doebler, University of Liverpool

Dr Sai Englert, SOAS University of London

James Erskine, University of Sussex and Birkbeck, University of London

Professor Martin Paul Eve, Birkbeck, University of London

John Fallas, University of Leeds

Dr Lynne Fanthome, Staffordshire University

Dr Hannah Field, University of Sussex

Dr Adrian Garvey, Birkbeck, University of London

Dr Laura Gill, University of Sussex

Dr Priyamvada Gopal, University of Cambridge

Bhavini Goyate, University of Sussex

Dr Craig Haslop, University of Liverpool

Professor Björn Heile, University of Glasgow

Dr Phil Hutchinson, Manchester Metropolitan University

Professor Martin Iddon, University of Leeds

Dr Eleftheria Ioannidou, University of Groningen, Netherlands

Dr Chris Kempshall, University of Sussex

Andrew Key, University of California, Berkeley, USA

Professor Laleh Khalili, SOAS University of London

Dr Theodore Koulouris, University of Brighton

Professor Maria Lauret, University of Sussex

Professor Vicky Lebeau, University of Sussex

Professor James Livesey, University of Dundee, Scotland

Professor Luke Martell, University of Sussex

Dr N Gabriel Martin, Lebanese American University, Lebanon

Wolfgang Marx, University College, Dublin, Ireland

Andy Medhurst, University of Sussex

Professor Philippe Meers, University of Antwerp, Belgium

Dr Shamira A Meghani, University of Cambridge

Niccolo Milanese, CESPRA EHESS, Paris, France and PUC Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Dr Ian Moody, CESEM – Universidade Nova, Lisbon

Professor Lucia Naqib, University of Reading

Dr Catherine Packham, University of Sussex

Professor Dimitris Papanikolaou, University of Oxford

Mary Parnwell, University of Sussex

Professor Deborah Philips, University of Brighton

Dr Chloe Porter, University of Sussex

Dr Jason Price, University of Sussex

Dr Duška Radosavljević, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London

Francesca Reader, University of Sussex and University of Brighton

Naida Redgrave, University of East London

Professor Nicholas Ridout, Queen Mary, University of London

Professor Lucy Robinson, University of Sussex

Dr Kirsty Rolfe, University of Sussex

Dr Joseph Ronan, University of Brighton

Dr Michael Rowland, University of Sussex

Dr Zachary Rowlinson, University of Sussex

Professor Nicholas Royle, University of Sussex

Dr Eleanor Rycroft, University of Bristol

Dr Jason Scott-Warren, University of Cambridge

Dr Deborah Shaw, University of Portsmouth

Dr Lisa Shaw, University of Liverpool

Kat Sinclair, University of Sussex

Sandrine Singleton-Perrin, University of Essex

Despina Sinou, University of Paris 13 – Sorbonne Paris Cité, France

Dave Smith, University of Hertfordshire

John Snijders, Durham University

Dr Samuel Solomon, University of Sussex

Dr Arabella Stanger, University of Sussex

Professor Rob Stone, University of Birmingham

Bernard Sufrin, Emeritus Fellow, Dept of Computer Science, University of Oxford

Dr Natasha Tanna, University of Cambridge

Professor Lyn Thomas, University of Sussex

Simon Thorpe, University of Warwick

Dr Gavan Titley, Maynooth University, Ireland

Dr Pamela Thurschwell, University of Sussex

Dr Dominic Walker, University of Sussex

Dr Ed Waller, University of Surrey and University of Portsmouth

Dr Kiron Ward, University of Sussex

Helen Wheatley, University of Warwick

Ian Willcock, University of Herfordshire

Professor Gregory Woods, Nottingham Trent University

Dr Tom F Wright, University of Sussex

Dr Heba Youssef, University of Brighton