Police investigate assault on elderly man in Rio who wore PT sticker

An elderly supporter of Brazil's Workers' Party (PT) alleges he was the victim of a politically motivated assault in Rio de Janeiro, which he described as a "murder attempt." Mauro Figueiredo Rocha Dias da Costa, 69, stated in a video sent to UOL that his attackers intended to kill him.

The incident occurred Thursday night in front of the building where Dias da Costa lives in Copacabana. He claims the motivation was political because he was carrying a backpack with a sticker of federal deputy Benedita da Silva (PT) and the assailants shouted "Bolsonarist" slogans. "It was a cruel assault. It was of immense brutality. It was a murder attempt. They were going to kill me," Dias da Costa recounted. He said the attackers stopped only when a strong man intervened, shouting for them to stop.

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It was a cruel assault. It was of immense brutality. It was a murder attempt. They were going to kill me.

Dias da Costa reported being subjected to a "chokehold" and punched in the face. He described being cornered by a man in a suit and two women, all appearing to be fighters around 30 years old. According to the victim, one woman immobilized him by the neck while the man punched him. The assault lasted about five minutes. "They premeditated all of this. I suffered an ambush; they were lying in wait, expecting me to arrive home. They knew where I lived. And they started to attack me, shouting 'Yes, Bolsonaro!, Yes, Bolsonaro!' and 'You're going to die, you filthy PT supporter.'"

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Yes, Bolsonaro!, Yes, Bolsonaro! and 'You're going to die, you filthy PT supporter.'

The victim stated the assailants used hate speech and made death threats, with phrases like "we are going to kill you now" and "you have already harmed many people." He added, "I ran out of air and continued to be beaten, with kicks and punches. I was thrown against the gate. I have a lot of back pain. The marks are on my face. My mouth is all bruised; I'm even going to the dentist. They were going to kill me."

Dias da Costa also noted that the building's doorman, despite witnessing the assault, remained inside and did not open the building's entrance, even as he pleaded for help. Security cameras are present at the location, and police have requested the footage as part of their investigation. The victim did not have access to the images. "He had no empathy. He didn't even shout 'stop, stop,' nothing. He just watched this murder attempt I was suffering."

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He had no empathy. He didn't even shout 'stop, stop,' nothing. He just watched this murder attempt I was suffering.

The Civil Police confirmed that investigations are ongoing and that the case, initially registered at the 14th DP in Leblon, has been transferred to the 12th DP in Copacabana. The victim was sent for a medical examination. The Military Police stated they were not called to the scene. The PT bloc in the Chamber of Deputies issued a statement expressing solidarity, calling the attack "inadmissible" in a democratic state. Deputy Benedita da Silva also offered her support, condemning the act as "political hatred and cowardice."

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It is inadmissible that, in a full democratic rule of law, a citizen is attacked, threatened, and violated for his political convictions.