Return of parliamentary activities marked by protests in COP30 host city
04 de February de 2025
By Ana Pastana – From Cenarium
BELÉM (PA) – Educators and indigenous people gathered in front of the Legislative Assembly of Pará (Alepa) this Tuesday, 4th, on the first working day of state deputies in 2025, to protest against State Law No. 10,820/2024 and to demand the dismissal of Pará’s current Secretary of Education, Rossieli Soares.
The State Law, approved at the end of last year by Governor Helder Barbalho (MDB), has been the reason for protests, mainly by indigenous peoples of Pará, who have occupied the headquarters of the State Secretariat of Education (Seduc-PA) for 20 days. The law affects the Modular Education System (Some) and its indigenous-focused version, Somei. Teacher bonuses are also impacted.
Speaking to CENARIUM, Beto Andrade, state coordinator of the Union of Public Education Workers of Pará (Sintepp), stated that the initiative aims to engage in dialogue with the president of Alepa, Deputy Chicão (MDB).
“We are here today, on the first day of Alepa’s operation. We came seeking an audience with the deputies, with Alepa’s president because we are engaged in a major struggle for the repeal of Law 10,820. A law that has attacked the public teaching profession in Pará as a whole and has also affected the quilombola, riverside, and indigenous populations. We, education workers from both urban and rural areas, demand the repeal of Law 10,820 and the removal of Secretary Rossieli Soares”, he said.
According to the professor, the category received information that Alepa’s president, along with a parliamentary committee, would meet with representatives on Wednesday, 5th. However, Beto reinforced that the movement will remain in front of the Assembly to ensure the meeting happens this Tuesday.
“Our category has just received information that the president, along with a committee of deputies, plans to meet with us tomorrow, the 5th. We continue to insist that the meeting with the deputies happen today, and we are waiting here for further updates from inside [Alepa]”, he reported.
Police Presence
On-site, educators are surrounded by military police officers and agents from the Shock Battalion. Despite the increased security measures by the State government, the protest remains peaceful. Images show fencing separating a tent, which shelters protest participants, from the State’s military police officers.
Public Civil Action
The Federal Public Defender’s Office (DPU) has filed a public civil action against the Government of Pará to prevent the dissemination of false information about the occupation of the State Secretariat of Education (Seduc). The document was signed on Sunday, 2nd, by Federal Public Defender Marcos Teixeira.
Marcos Teixeira told CENARIUM that the government’s stance of refusing to negotiate with indigenous groups while using Governor Helder Barbalho’s social media accounts creates a narrative opposing that of the indigenous movement.
“We highlight, in this specific post by the governor, the dissemination of false news (…) meaning that if the governor does not delete these videos, we will request that Meta remove them (…). We demand that the State government retract these knowingly false claims and that indigenous leaders currently occupying the Seduc building be granted the right to respond”, he stated.
Now entering the 22nd day of occupation, the protest aims to prevent the extinction of the Indigenous Modular Education System (Somei) and changes that directly affect the lives of educators and students in the State’s most remote regions. The demonstration has garnered support from national and international artists, as well as members of other indigenous communities.