MADRID, Dec. 9 (.) –
The councilor of the Workers’ Party (PT) Carla Ayres has filed a complaint against Marquinhos da Silva, of the Social Christian Party (PSC), after he grabbed her and tried to kiss her by force in the middle of a session of the Florianópolis Municipal Chamber , in southern Brazil.
The attack took place this Thursday in plenary, after Ayres returned from the rostrum to which he had risen to intervene on a bill. As he returned to her seat, Da Silva got up from his and intercepted her, grabbing her arm and pulling her closer to try and kiss her.
The images of what happened show how Ayres tries to let go, visibly upset. The PT councilor has revealed that while she was speaking in plenary session, Da Silva was laughing, “as if he were in the stands and I was losing a debate or a game”, reports the newspaper ‘Folha de Sao Paulo’.
On the day that we approved the Women’s Attorney at the Municipal Chamber of Florianópolis, more than a roast dinner that we need to fight so that it does not happen on the streets and in the parliaments of our country. It’s not a jumper, it’s a river! pic.twitter.com/2a8VytmG6X
—Carla Ayres (@carlaayres) December 7, 2022
As Ayres was on her way to her seat, Da Silva “said something like ‘you’ve lost'” to which she replied that it was serious. “Then he grabbed my arm, when I turned my back he carried out this unseemly scene and kept laughing and saying that everything was fine. It was embarrassing,” she said.
Ayres has said that although Da Silva later apologized, “that is not the issue” since what happened is not typical of a parliamentarian. “It’s disgusting,” said the PT councilor, who will file a complaint for sexual harassment and gender political violence.
The councilor has denounced that the case is one more reflection of a system “that allows men to act with women as they wish, uttering words and accessing our bodies without asking for authorization and without knowing that they are committing an invasion of privacy “.
Ayres has appreciated the expressions of solidarity from several of the parliamentarians and has called for “tougher measures” against these actions, which cannot be treated as if they were simple games without importance.
For his part, and through a statement, Da Silva has again apologized, stating that he accepts the mistake he has made. However, he has claimed to have received the accusation of harassment with sadness. “My sincere apologies to her and to all the women who felt offended,” he said.
This episode took place precisely during the session in which the creation of the Women’s Prosecutor’s Office was approved in the Florianópolis Chamber, which will be in charge of analyzing and investigating complaints of sexist violence.
On the other hand, the chamber has repudiated what happened, emphasizing its commitment to the fight against any violence against women and announced that the necessary investigations will be carried out before carrying out the administrative and disciplinary measures.
