São Paulo Police Open Probe After Armed Officers Enter Preschool Over Orixá Drawing

Overview

• Four military police officers, one reportedly carrying a machine gun, entered EMEI Antônio Bento after a father alleged his 4‑year‑old was being forced into an African religion class.
• The visit lasted about an hour and, according to reports from the school community, frightened children and staff, with the director feeling ill during the episode.
• The Polícia Militar opened an internal inquiry that includes analysis of body‑worn camera footage to examine the responding team's conduct.
• A teacher filed a police report accusing the father of making threats following his earlier removal of his daughter's drawing from a school mural.
• School and municipal education officials said the activity drew on the children's book Ciranda em Aruanda and complies with federal laws requiring Afro‑Brazilian and Indigenous history and culture in the curriculum, as unions and lawmakers called for oversight.