One of the billboards taken down in Passo Fundo, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul | Image: Ingra Costa/Used with permission On Sept. 5, less than a month before the first round of Brazil’s elections, the electoral courts ordered the removal of two billboards showing the image of current president Jair Bolsonaro (PL, Liberal Party) in Passo Fundo, in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. The decision was the result of legal action taken by two candidates running for Congress in an opposition party, the PSOL (Socialism and Freedom Party): the current state Congress member Luciana Genro and Ingra Costa, a candidate for federal Congress member. And it was shared on social media by Costa. Another billboard taken down in Passo Fundo (Rio Grande do Sul) before the 2022 electoral campaign | Image: Ingra Costa/Used with permission From giant billboards in cities to smaller ones alongside highways, or in the federal capital — with messages of support or criticism, some comical, others with fake news — billboards with political themes have spread across Brazil in recent years. Those referring to Bolsonaro seem to be the most common. In the region where the candidates brought this case, they are nothing new, as Ingra told Global Voices. During the campaign period, old billboards in support of the current president have been restored and new ones have been put up, despite being against the law. Last year, a similar billboard in support of former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT, Workers’ Party) was pulled down in Passo Fundo by a group using a chainsaw. After being jailed for 580 days and then having the cases against him annulled, Lula has been ahead in opinion polls for the first round of the elections, scheduled for Oct. 2. With the removal of billboards by court order, Costa recounted having become the victim of intimidation. In around five audio messages, to which GV had access, a man (who identifies himself, but is not an acquaintance of hers) says he will “make a prayer to take the demons out of her life” and talks about “setting fire to the devil.” He called the candidate, who supports issues such as feminism, the rights of LGBTQIA+ people, and of religions of African origin, “a disgrace to Christians, to evangelicals, to believers” and said he would also go to court if he found billboards of her and Luciana in the city. Costa filed a police report against him: O processo eleitoral tem diversas regras que mantêm a lisura do processo e elas devem ser respeitadas por todos os candidatos, independente de qual partido ou cargo no qual estejam. As regras eleitorais servem para todos e toda publicidade eleitoral deve estar dentro da legislação. Eles não são o ‘alecrim dourado’ para fazer o que querem. Apesar de não estarem acostumados a agir dentro da lei, seguiremos cobrando e fazendo a nossa parte. The electoral process has various rules that ensure its integrity and they must be respected by all candidates, regardless of which party or office they are in. The electoral rules apply to everybody and all electoral propaganda must be within the law. They are not ‘special ones’ [who can] do whatever they want. Even though they are not used to acting within the law, we will continue to demand [it] and do our part. During an event by Bolsonaro supporters to celebrate 200 years of Brazil's Independence on Sept. 7 in Passo Fundo, her name was mentioned and booed. A statue of Bolsonaro made of scrap metal, also in the city, was ordered to be removed by the electoral justice. The courts ordered the immediate removal of a billboard located in Comodoro, in Mato Grosso, central-western Brazil | Image: TRE-MT (Regional Electoral Court from Mato Grosso) In August in Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul state, Bolsonaro supporters put up a billboard alleging that left-wing people were linked to drug trafficking and censorship. The giant billboard was removed following a court order. A survey by the news website G1 shows that the electoral courts have ordered the removal of billboards of this nature, alleging that the political left is linked to crimes, in at least eight Brazilian states during the electoral period. Federal law prohibits the use of billboards for electoral propaganda in Brazil, which can lead to fines of between R$5,000 and R$15,000 (about US$980 and US$2,940). The ban applies to the electoral and pre-electoral periods, because conduct prohibited in the campaign is also prohibited in the pre-campaign, according to an expert consulted by GV. Outside these periods, if such billboards are put up, a fine is imposed if an electoral objective is proven. According to Law No.