A Datafolha researcher was attacked on Tuesday afternoon (20) with kicks and punches by a Bolsonarist in Ariranha (378 km from the capital), in an escalation of hostility against professionals from the institute in the midst of the electoral process.
The researcher was interviewing a person, when Rafael Bianchini approached and, screaming, began to demand that he also be heard for the survey. "Picks only Lula" and "slobs" were some of the terms shouted by the bolsonarist in the middle of the street.
The institute's researchers receive standardized training, which determines that people who offer to be interviewed must be avoided in order to ensure that the sample is random. The attack began when the researcher ended his interview with the other resident.
He was hit in the back, and the tablet used for the interview was knocked to the ground. When the researcher fought back, he was also attacked by a son of the bolsonarist.
The attacks were contained by the action of neighbors.That's when the bolsonarist went in and out of his house, across the street from the place, and threatened to attack the researcher with a knife — he was restrained by his son. "The researcher was doing his job and was physically attacked in a cowardly manner. Nothing justifies any kind of aggression. We have seen an increase in hostility towards researchers and this is very worrying", says Luciana Chong, director of Datafolha.
According to Datafolha, reports of people passing by shouting, accusing the institute of being a communist, or trying to film interviewers as a way of intimidating them have been common. In most cases, people who seek to intimidate researchers declare themselves bolsonarists or mention the name of President Jair Bolsonaro (PL), according to the institute's board.
Translated by Cassy Dias