RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- Several Brazilian public universities were forced to remove banners containing allegedly illegal electoral propaganda ahead of Sunday's presidential runoff election.
A coordinated operation of the electoral courts targeted universities all over the country. The electoral courts said they were investigating political manifestations in public buildings, which were banned by the Electoral Code, and had removed some banners with specific mention of candidates and seized some campaign materials.
The moves were regarded by some as interference in university autonomy. For example in the Fluminense Federal University (UFF) in Niteroi of Rio de Janeiro state, the law school was targeted for the use of a banner saying "UFF Law - Antifascism."
The banner did not mention any candidate, but a local electoral judge ordered its removal and threatened to arrest the law school dean over the banner seen by the judge as being part of a campaign contrary to presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro.
Rio de Janeiro's State University also received an order from the police to remove a banner honoring murdered human rights activist Marielle Franco.
In Paraiba State University in Paraiba state, policemen showed up to investigate the contents of an ethics class. In the Rio de Janeiro Federal University, a car with a cadaver was left in front of the law school building, where a class about fascism was being held.
Crime and militia gangs in Rio often dump bodies in cars near enemy gangs' territory in order to intimidate them, so the action was seen by many as a direct threat against the university.
Superior Electoral Court President Rosa Weber said there were "possible excesses" and those excesses would be investigated.
The Brazilian Bar Association criticized the courts' move in a statement, saying it was an attempt to limit the freedom of expression of students and professors.