A student centre in Cuiabá filed a police report; the university says it is conducting a confidential administrative inquiry.
The Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT) is investigating messages with racist and misogynistic content that, according to a student academic centre, were shared in student chat groups in Cuiabá. The university’s Centre for Economic Sciences (Caeco) said it filed a police report on Sunday, October 4. The names of those suspected have not been disclosed.
Caeco said an image shared in a chat associated with the Monopólio student athletic association showed a Black woman undergoing an ultrasound, with the image attributed to her child compared to a monkey. The centre also said racist messages and audio containing insults against women were posted in the discussion. Caeco described the material as racist and misogynistic and called for those responsible to be identified and dealt with under the law and university rules.
Police referred the case to Cuiabá’s Third Police Station, which handles lower-level offences. The university said a complaint was sent by its ombudsman’s office to the competent unit on Monday, October 5, and administrative measures are under way. UFMT said it could not disclose names, the number of people involved or the content of the messages because the procedure is confidential.
In a separate statement, the university said the review would follow internal rules while respecting the right to a defence and due process. The Monopólio athletic association said racism and misogyny do not represent its values and would not be tolerated. Police had not commented on the inquiry at the time of publication.