| Nikolas Ferreira | |
| Office: | Member of the Chamber of Deputies |
| Term Start: | 1 February 2023 |
| Constituency: | Minas Gerais |
| Office1: | Member of the Municipal Chamber of Belo Horizonte |
| Term Start1: | 1 January 2021 |
| Term End1: | 1 February 2023 |
| Constituency1: | At-large |
| Birth Name: | Nikolas Ferreira de Oliveira |
| Birth Date: | 30 May 1996 |
| Birth Place: | Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil |
| Party: | PL (2022–present) |
| Alma Mater: | Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (LL.B.) |
Nikolas Ferreira de Oliveira (born Belo Horizonte, Brazil in 1996) is a Brazilian politician affiliated to the Liberal Party (PL). Currently serving as Member of the Chamber of Deputies, he was elected for a 4-year term in 2022, being the most voted Member of the Chamber of Deputies in the 2022 Brazilian general election, with almost 1,5 million votes, and the most voted in Minas Gerais history for that office.[1] [2] Formerly, he was elected Councillor of Belo Horizonte, in 2020, the second most voted candidate after Duda Salabert.[3]
He describes himself as a "right-wing Christian, gun enthusiast, and family defender", and is considered one of the most influential politicians on social media in Brazil.[4] [5] Ferreira has gained national notoriety due to the controversies he has been involved in, including defending negationist ideas,[6] opposing measures against the Covid-19 pandemic, giving speeches that are both transphobic[7] and discriminatory, spreading fake news, and supporting and encouraging coup demonstrations[8] as well as the attacks on the headquarters of the Three Powers in 2023.[9]
Following his election as a councilor, Nikolas purposefully misgendered Duda Salabert, despite her being the first and most-voted transgender councilor in the history of Belo Horizonte. Salabert, on the other hand, stated that she does not appreciate Ferreira's conservative views and congratulated him on his victory.[10] [11] However, she has filed a criminal complaint against him.[12] +[13] Since there is no criminal classification for transphobia and homophobia in Brazil, the Supreme Federal Court decided in 2019 to include these crimes in the Law of Racism.[14] In April 2023, Nikolas Ferreira was convicted, in first and second instance, to pay a compensation of R$ 80,000 for moral damages against Duda Salabert.[15] [16]
On March 8, 2023, International Women's Day, while serving as a federal congressman, Nikolas delivered a speech at the Chamber of Deputies podium with transphobic and anti-feminist statements. In addition to mocking trans women by wearing a blonde wig and asking to be called by the name "Nikole",[17] he stated that "women are losing their space to men who feel like women". The President of the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lira, wrote a public reprimand on social media after the statements, stating that the Chamber of Deputies is not a space for discriminatory speeches.[18] [19] [20] Federal congresswoman Erika Hilton, who is a trans woman, presented a petition in favor of revoking Nikolas' mandate, which collected 150,000 signatures within 24 hours.[21] [22] Three criminal complaints were filed by civil society organizations and a group of federal congressmen to the Supreme Federal Court after the statements.[23] On the other hand, Nikolas received support from other far-right politicians, such as Eduardo Bolsonaro, who classified his behavior as excellent, as well as Valdemar Costa Neto, the president of Nikolas' party, who publicly defended him on social media.[24] [25] Nikolas' stance was associated with the growth of transphobic proposals in the federal, state, and municipal legislative bodies.[26]