PT national vice-president slaps opposition deputy to Lula government with slap in the face

PT deputy Washington Quaquá (RJ) slapped fellow deputy Messias Donato (Republicanos-ES) in the face during the ceremony to enact the tax reform this Wednesday afternoon (20). The two were in front of the Board of Directors of the Chamber plenary when the attack occurred. The moment was filmed by deputy Silvia Waiãpi (PL-AP) – see the video below.

Opposition parliamentarians were demonstrating against the presence of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) at the event. After a brief discussion, Quaquá says he will sue the Ethics Council against government opponents who sang “Lula the thief, he belongs in prison”. Donato apparently asks him to move away and is slapped in the face.

Before the attack, Quaquá made an insult apparently directed at deputy Nikolas Ferreira (PL-MG), calling the parliamentarian a “faggot”. Ferreira was next to Donato when he was hit by the PT member. “PT deputy Quaquá punched deputy Messias Donato/ES in the face. It’s impressive how the left can do anything. Impeachment now”, stated Nikolas Ferreira.

Representative Silvia Waiãpi, who recorded the moment of aggression against Messias Donato, told People’s Gazette who was “shocked” by the parliamentarian’s attitude. “I am shocked by the aggression in the middle of the National Congress, where there are cameras everywhere. The act itself, without any fear, is frightening. What wouldn’t he do where no one was watching?”, he declared.

“Physical aggression against anyone in the Chamber of Deputies is unacceptable. We will represent his impeachment in the Ethics Council”, stated opposition leader Carlos Jordy.

“All my solidarity with Deputy Messias Donato. In Parliament discussions can be heated, but they should never lead to physical aggression”, said Carla Zambelli.

Senator Damares Alves (Republicanos-DF), from the same party as Donato, classified the episode as “absurd” and expressed solidarity with her colleague. “Nothing justifies the gratuitous violence promoted by deputy Washington Quaquá, in a clear affront to parliamentary decorum. We demand action from the Ethics Committee of the Chamber of Deputies”, declared the senator.

Watch the video of the attack

Who is Washington Quaquá

Washington Luiz Cardoso Siqueira, known as Washington Quaquá, is from São Gonçalo (RJ). He has been a member of the Workers’ Party since he was 14 years old. In the 90s, at the age of 19, he joined the party’s state leadership. According to the legend, he has already served as mayor of Maricá for two terms.

In 2016, during his tenure as mayor, he unveiled a statue of the guerrilla Che Guevara in front of a hospital. He was convicted by the Electoral Court in 2013 for abuse of political power and was ineligible for eight years, but even so he did not lose his position in the municipality of Maricá.

In 2018 – when he held the position of president of the PT in Rio de Janeiro – he tried to circumvent the penalty and run for a seat in the Chamber of Deputies, but the Regional Electoral Court (TRE-RJ) denied his candidacy registration.

After his tenure as mayor, his accounts were rejected in four cases by the state Court of Auditors. The PT member was also convicted by the Court of Justice (TJ-RJ) for administrative improbity in four other cases.

In the 2022 elections, he was elected federal deputy for the first time. He is currently a member of the PT National Executive Committee, as national vice-president of the party.

Who is Messiah Donato

Serving his first term as a federal deputy, Messias Donato was elected to a position in the legislature for the first time in 2013 as a councilor in Cariacica, in Espírito Santo, where he remained for two terms.

Conservative and supporter of former president Jair Bolsonaro, in the Chamber he is an opponent of the Lula government and has positioned himself against some of the main controversial issues supported by the government, such as the so-called “Fake News PL” and the advancement of the pro-abortion and pro- -gender ideology. He is the creator of the Parliamentary Front Against the Early Sexualization of Children and Adolescents.

Shortly before the start of the tax reform enactment session, Donato was part of a group of opposition parliamentarians who chanted against Lula, who attended the event.

Attacked deputy says he felt humiliated

Donato spoke about the aggression during a speech in the Chamber plenary this evening. “Wherever I went, I always said that my voice would be in defense of life, family, Christian values, the much-desired freedom,” he said. He highlighted that he respects and has friends with whom he disagrees in discussions in the Chamber. “I felt very humiliated… Anyone who knows me here knows that I am a peacemaker, a good person, a ‘stop it, don’t fight’ person,” he said.

The deputy reported that he tried to ask Quaquá not to use profanity during the ceremony and was “surprised with a slap” on the right side of his face. “It’s absurd, when I was carrying out the appropriate procedures [após o ocorrido], I came across a report in which he said the following: ‘I really hit and if I can I’ll hit again’. This House is not a ring”, said Donato.

He emphasized that the discussion should remain in the field of ideas. “We will not remain silent… I confess that I am afraid, returning home, I don’t know, I am very psychologically shaken. He said he did it and will do it again,” said Donato. “I want to thank the deputies who, regardless of party color, were here offering solidarity,” he added. Emotional, he was supported by colleagues at the end of his statement.

Quaquá claims that he reacted to the previous attack: “He hit, he took”

The PT deputy stated, in a note on social media, that the slap was a “reaction” to a “previous aggression”. Washington Quaquá said he had been pushed and accused Donato of “uttering insults” against Lula.

“In relation to the incident that occurred, I clarify that my reaction was triggered by a previous attack. The deputy was insulting the President of the Republic when I turned on my cell phone camera with the intention of producing evidence for a lawsuit,” he stated.

“That was when I was pushed and my arm was held to avoid filming. I never use violence as a method, but I do not tolerate verbal or physical aggression from the ultra-right and I will always react to defend myself. He hit, he took”, concluded Quaquá.

Lira asked parliamentarians for decorum during the ceremony

The president of the Chamber, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), asked parliamentarians to respect the authorities present in the enactment of the tax reform. The “ear pulling” happened after Lula was booed by the opposition. At the beginning of her speech, Lira requested that the session take place with the “highest level of respect possible”. The president of the Chamber was applauded after making the appeal to those present.

“This House represents Brazil. It is the people’s House. And it is a historic day for this House, for the National Congress and for our country. Therefore, my friends, let’s save our convictions for the normal plenary sessions… Let’s do our best to behave with the utmost decorum. It is a request that I humbly make to each of the deputies”, said Lira.