StudentDemonstrations-PUC-Rio1977

The year 1977 marked the return of the student movement to the public scene. Students had been reorganizing since the end of the previous decade, getting their organizations up and running again, even with decree 477 still in force, which, since 1969, had sought to ban all political discussion from universities.

At the same time, popular opposition to the Military Dictatorship was growing, with the entrance of new political actors onto the scene, such as workers, Black people, and women. In this environment, a routine episode in times of repression served as the spark that brought young people back into the streets. On May 1st, in São Paulo, eight militants from the Liga Operária were arrested.

The case reignited the debate over illegal arrests and sparked a wave of protests across the country. In Rio de Janeiro, the demonstration was organized by students from the Pontifícia Universidade Católica (PUC-Rio). Students from the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (Uerj), and Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (Fefierj) also joined in.

The demonstration at PUC-Rio was one of the milestones marking the return of the student movement to the public scene. Photo: Alberto Jacob, Agência O Globo.

Image description: The image is a black-and-white photograph of a student demonstration. At the top, there are banners with inscriptions in Portuguese, hanging from the columns of a building. Below them, a crowd of people is gathered, holding banners and taking part in the demonstration. The people are arranged in several rows, occupying the space of the corridor and the building's stairs. In the background, the building's columns are visible, along with some trees.

Scheduled for May 10, the demonstration was banned by the state's Secretary of Security. The Gávea neighborhood, in the vicinity of PUC-Rio, was taken over by police forces. Even so, more than seven thousand people gathered on the university's pilotis: students, professors and staff, student representatives from other states, politicians, union leaders, and relatives of prisoners, missing persons, and exiles.

Several measures were taken by the Federal and State Government in order to prevent the student protest scheduled for May 10th. Jornal do Brasil, Rio de Janeiro, May 10, 1977.

Image description: The image is a black-and-white newspaper. At the top is the headline "Government bans student demonstrations." Below, there is text explaining that the government imposed preventive measures against student demonstrations. The text mentions the Rio Security Secretariat and DOPS. There are references to institutions such as PUC, UFRJ, UERJ, FEFIERJ, and UFF. The text mentions that PUC's rectory suspended today's classes.

For the first time in years, questions related not only to the student movement but also to specific political demands were openly discussed, later published in an open letter. The fight against the Dictatorship finally became a student issue again, with chants for democratic freedoms and freedom of expression.

Image description: The image is a black-and-white photograph of a student demonstration. At the top, banners with inscriptions in Spanish hang on the walls. The clearer banner reads "HORAS ESTUDANTES" and "ORGANIZAÇÃO DE OPRIMIDOS." Below, other texts are partially visible. In the center of the image, a group of people is gathered in a covered area, possibly a hallway or an interior courtyard of a university building. The people are sitting and standing, some appearing to be discussing or listening to someone standing on the right. The setting looks busy and crowded.