Her shirt read #EleNao, the Portuguese words for “Not him.” For a 19-year-old, this act of resistance ended with a group of men attacking her and carving a swastika symbol into her abdomen.
Tensions run high as Brazil prepares for a second round of voting in its presidential elections, one of the country’s most important to date. When citizens go out to vote on October 28, they’ll have to choose between Jair Bolsonaro and Fernando Haddad – two candidates on opposite ends of the spectrum. Bolsonaro, currently the candidate in the lead, has appealed to those sick and tired of crime and corruption. However, the conservative candidate has made innumerable racist, sexist, and homophobic statements that signal the direction the country will take if he’s elected. This has led to the rise of #EleNao, a grassroots feminist movement that has risen in opposition to Bolsonaro’s politics.
The unnamed 19-year-old is just one of many women who stands against Bolsonaro. On Monday, she was getting off a bus in Porto Alegre when a group of men – supporters of Bolsonaro – attacked her. They physically assaulted her, and then one of them took out a pocket knife and carved a swastika – a symbol of hate – into her stomach.
While she reported the terrible incident to police, she is fearful of pressing charges or speaking publicly about what happened, according to teleSUR.