by Nina Lemos
It was 2018. Rio de Janeiro city councilwoman Marielle Franco had been assassinated and become a symbol of resistance. A few months after her death, two far-right politicians linked to the Bolsonaros did something chilling. They tore down a street sign with Franco’s name on it, cut it in half and posed for a photo with it, as if it were a trophy.
Federal Deputy-elect Ana Elisa Santos Silva campaigning for Lula in Porto Alegre in October, 2026
This act was clearly meant as a threat. The message seemed to be: “Black women of the left, do not dare to reach positions of power.” I remember those horrible images every time I see the unacceptable attacks against Ana Elisa Santos Silva, 21, who was recently elected to national Congress for the Workers’ Party (PT) in Minas Gerais.
Last week, Ana Elisa posted a video on Instagram that caused shock and dread. In it, she read an email from a man who described in graphic detail what he intended to do to her. He wrote about rape, torture, murder and open, violent racism. I will not reproduce all the details here because they are too horrible. But the man wrote, among other things, that “baby monkeys like her should not be representatives in Congress, but ‘serve.’”
The man’s “logic” matches that of the men who tore down the sign honoring Franco. It may also match that of the people who planned and carried out her murder. Threats and racism are crimes in Brazil and that must not be forgotten. The message is always the same: Do not dare to enter these spaces. If you do, we will destroy you and put you back in your place.
Ana Elisa recorded the video to answer critics of her police escort. The criticism makes no sense. A woman receives death threats, and people blame the victim for needing security to stay alive. They do not blame the people committing the crime. In another video, Ana Elisa said she is 21 and wants to live an ordinary life like any young person her age, not surrounded by bodyguards and threats. She is right. Nobody chooses to live under threat and in fear.
Attacks by Congressman Nikolas Ferreira
Ana Elisa started using a police escort soon after she was elected and became a national public figure. In October she filed complaints of racism, death threats and rape threats with the Federal Police. She also had to deactivate her X account due to the proliferation of hate speech attacks against her.
According to Ana Elisa, the attacks intensified after Ferreira, a lawmaker from the far right, posted about her. He published an altered image that turned her into a white man in blackface. Posts like this work as “dog whistles.” When someone with a large following posts an attack, the attacks multiply into the millions. That is how Ana Elisa ended up at a police station, filing a report and asking for protection.
This is unacceptable. It is not a “burden of office.” It is not a price a young Black woman on the left must pay for entering positions of power. Nobody should have to pay it. What is happening to Ana Elisa and other women is a crime. I know that is obvious, but this kind of violence has become so routine that it needs to be said in plain words.
Many people who have never been attacked or threatened tell victims not to worry. They say the attacks come from “bots” or “crazy people on the internet” and will never lead to anything. That trivializes violence, and it must stop. Attacks and threats are criminal acts in themselves and they cannot be tolerated. Entering positions of power should not require courage or a willingness to risk becoming the victim of a crime.
Ana Elisa is not alone, unfortunately. According to a study by the A Ponte network, 8 of every 10 Black women elected to public office suffer political and racial harassment and threats.
Ana Elisa, 21, is a talent. She is intelligent and skilled at building political alliances. She should inspire other Black girls to enter politics, use their voices and try to change the world. These attacks threaten that. If they continue, fewer young women like her will reach positions of power.
The Federal Police have opened an investigation into the attacks. The Justice Ministry is coordinating protective measures for Ana Elisa, with support from the National Public Security Force. Her escort now protects her 24 hours a day.
The state and society have an obligation to protect Ana Elisa. But none of this should be happening. She should not need this much protection before she has even begun her term. It shows how misogynistic and racist Brazil is. Lawmakers and others who joke about this reinforce and normalize that racism. There is nothing “recreational” or “fun” about it.
This opinion piece first appeared in ICL Notícias, was translated with express authorization by the editor by Panamerican Dispatch, and can be read in its original Portuguese here.