Anielle’s advisor offends “white” São Paulo fans

After the Minister of Racial Equality, Anielle Franco, used a Brazilian Air Force (FAB) jet to go to the final of the Copa do Brasil, her advisor took advantage of the same game to offend São Paulo’s “white” fans, calling the board of Flamengo as “fascist” and complaining about the Federal Police (PF). The advisor made posts on social media with images of the match that took place at the Morumbi stadium, in São Paulo, last Sunday (24).

In the publications, the Special Advisor for Strategic Affairs at the Ministry of Racial Equality, Marcelle Decothé, criticized the supposed European ancestry of the São Paulo people who watched the game. “White fans, who don’t sing, descended from naughty Europeans… Everything from São Paulo is worse,” she wrote.

In other posts, she claims to be a Flemish fan “independent of the fascist board”, criticizes the Federal Police and appears to be showing the middle finger to the camera alongside another of the minister’s advisors. Both accompanied Anielle Franco on her departure to launch an action against racism.

Racism in Brazil is a non-bailable and imprescriptible crime

In Brazil, racism is a non-bailable and imprescriptible crime, provided for in section XLII of article 5 of the Federal Constitution. The Racial Crime Law, 7,716 of 1989, defines crimes “resulting from prejudice based on race or color”.

On January 11, President Lula went further and sanctioned a law that equates racial insult (offense against a person) to the crime of racism. As a result, speeches that contain elements referring to race, color, ethnicity or national origin understood as offensive by people or groups considered minorities also became imprescriptible and non-bailable, as was already the case with racism.

In a statement, the Ministry of Racial Equality reported that it had opened an investigation to investigate the conduct of the employees. Furthermore, a criminal report was presented by federal deputy Delegado Paulo Bilynskyj (PL-SP) against the advisor for racial discrimination.

According to the parliamentarian, the presentation was filed with the São Paulo Public Ministry and the state’s Civil Police, as the publications would constitute a crime. “The advisor practiced discrimination based on color and national origin, as she stated that the white fans are descendants of naughty Europeans (color and national origin) and also made a relationship between them and the fact that they are from São Paulo (national origin)”, he states the document.

Bilynskyj also demands the immediate removal of the advisor from her duties due to the inconsistency between her position and her posts, as she works in the “folder of the Federal Executive Branch responsible for planning, coordinating and executing public policies to promote racial equality and combat racism on a national basis”, he concluded.