Adriana Abreu Magalhaes Dias (1970 – January 29, 2023) was a Brazilian feminist anthropologist,[1]anti-fascist[2] and activist for the rights of people with disabilities and rare diseases. Because of her work, Dias was nicknamed the "Nazi hunter".[3][4]
She holds a degree in Social Sciences from the State University of Campinas, a master's (2007) and a doctorate (2018) in anthropology from the same institution. Since her graduation, Dias has specialized in the study of neo-Nazism in Brazil; her work discusses the organization of these groups in virtual environments.[5] In her methodology, whenever she found a neo-Nazi website, she would physically print it out and report it until it was taken down.[6] Dias identified 334 active neo-Nazi cells in the country,[7][8] that number having jumped to 530 by 2021.[9] One of her discoveries was a 2004 letter signed by then deputy Jair Bolsonaro posted on a neo-Nazi website; in it the politician writes, "Every feedback I get from the communiqués becomes a stimulus to my work. You are the reason my mandate exists.”[6]
Dias had osteogenesis imperfecta,[10] and became known for her activism for the rights of people with disabilities and rare diseases. She was the creator of Instituto Baresi, a national forum associating people with rare diseases, disabilities, and other minority groups, and coordinated the Brazilian Anthropology Association's "Disability and Accessibility" Committee.[8] and was a member of the American Anthropological Association.[11] In politics, she integrated the National Front for Women with Disabilities, was part of the Life and Justice Association in Support of Victims of COVID-19, and participated in the transition team for the third government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in 2022,[1] She participated in hearings of the Parliamentary Inquiry Commission of the Campinas Chamber that investigated Nazi-fascist crimes,[12] and was important in the creation of the bill that instituted the National Day for Rare Diseases.[13]
Dias died aged 52 anos on 29 January 2023, of brain cancer.[14]
^ abSilvio Almeida (2023-01-29). "Nota de pesar – Adriana Dias" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Ministério dos Direitos Humanos e da Cidadania. Archived from the original on 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
^ abSuely Kofes (2023-01-30). "Despedida de Adriana Dias" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas da Universidade Estadual de Campinas. Archived from the original on 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
^Suely Kofes (2023-01-30). "Despedida de Adriana Dias" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas da Universidade Estadual de Campinas. Archived from the original on 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
