Voters in Rio de Janeiro filed a complaint against a woman who made Nazi salutes after participating in the second round of elections in the city's South Zone. The incident occurred on Sunday morning (the 25th) at Santo Inácio College in Botafogo and was registered at the 10th Police Precinct (Botafogo).
Video footage captured the woman making a gesture historically associated with Adolf Hitler's regime as she left the schoolyard—raising her right arm forward and slightly upward with an open palm and folded fingers. The woman was wearing a yellow national team T-shirt and a Maga movement cap, which is associated with supporters of US President Donald Trump, and the acronym Maga refers to the slogan 'Make America Great Again.'
Dispute Among Voters
The recording shows other voters expressing disapproval of this gesture. One stated, 'She is doing it in front of everyone!', while another asked, 'Is that Nazi?'. The woman retorted, 'And who are you? A communist?'. The man countered, 'I am not a communist, I am Jewish.' After this, the woman left the college, and the recording ended.
Historical Context
After the Nazis came to power in 1933, this salute became widely used in Germany, including in official ceremonies and daily life. It was usually accompanied by the phrase 'Heil Hitler.' This gesture became one of the symbols of the Nazi regime, which is responsible for the Holocaust—the systematic murder of about six million Jews, as well as the persecution and death of millions of other people during Hitler's rule from 1933 to 1945.