Lula Repudiates Bolsonarist Aggression Against Journalist

On Wednesday, Workers' Party (PT) leader Lula da Silva and other presidential candidates harshly criticized the verbal assault on a journalist carried out by a Bolsonaro's supporter.

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On Tuesday night, the candidates for the Sao Paulo State government held a debate on television. During this event, right-wing lawmaker Douglas Garcia lashed out at journalist Vera Magalhaes, accusing her of being "a disgrace to Brazilian journalism."

With threatening tones and gestures, Garcia repeated a phrase that President Jair Bolsonaro had himself addressed to the journalist on previous occasions. Sexist attacks against journalists, however, are not new as they have been part of the Bolsonarist discourse since the former Capitan became president in January 2019.

Amid the campaign for the October elections, this new attack aroused the solidarity of other candidates with Vera Magalhaes, who is a columnist for the newspaper O Globo.

The tweet reads, “The dictatorship assassinated TVCultura journalist Vladimir Herzog. Today, amid the democratic period, its director Leao Serva honored history while defending Vera Magalhaes, an announcer who was a victim of unjust political violence."

"Sad with the disrespect against journalist Vera Magalhaes by a Bolsonaro's lawmaker. Debates should be news because of the proposals, not because of attacks on female journalists promoted by those who live by hate and do not like democracy," PT presidential candidate Lula da Silva tweeted.

"The escalation of Bolsonarist attacks on journalist Vera Magalhaes reached a peak and ought to be seen as a multiple terrorist act, which confronts an independent woman and journalist as well as the democratic society as a whole,"  Democratic Labour Party's presidential candidate Ciro Gomes said.

On Wednesday, Sao Paulo Congress President Carlao Pignatari affirmed that the Ethics Committee will study the complaints against lawmaker Garcia with "seriousness, transparency, and speed."