Chamber of Caxias do Sul rejects removal of councilor – 05/16/2023 – Market

The Chamber of Councilors of Caxias do Sul, in Serra Gaúcha, decided this Tuesday (16) to shelve the process of impeachment of councilor Sandro Luiz Fantinel (without party) for breach of parliamentary decorum.

On February 28, 2023, four days after the rescue of more than 200 Bahian workers in conditions similar to slavery in a company that provided services to wineries in Bento Gonçalves (RS), Fantaniel, then in the Patriota party, insulted Bahians in the gallery .

The councilor advised local farmers not to hire any more “those people up there”, who would be “accustomed to carnival and parties”. He said that businessmen should give preference to Argentine workers. He also stated that “with Bahians, who have the only culture they live on the beach playing drums, it’s normal to have this kind of problem.”

Although the majority of councilors were in favor of the impeachment, the loss of mandate requires the support of more than two-thirds of the votes of the 23 councillors.

The score was 13 votes in favor of the impeachment, 9 against and 1 abstention – that of Fantinel himself.

wanted by Sheet at the time of the statements, the councilor said that he “spoke too much” and that he would return to the gallery the next day to apologize. In a post on his social networks on March 2, he apologized, said he had “much appreciation for the people of Bahia and everyone in the North and Northeast of the country” and attributed the demonstration to a mental lapse of which he would be “deeply sorry”.

The episode resulted in notes of repudiation from the governors of Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite (PSDB), and Bahia, Jerônimo Rodrigues (PT), and the expulsion of the councilor by Patriota.

On March 14, Fantinel was indicted by the Civil Police for racism. The expression “playing the drum” was understood by the researchers as a subliminal message of racism referring to religions of African origin. The complaint was accepted and the first testimonies about the case are scheduled for August at the 3rd Criminal Court of Caxias do Sul.

After the episode, Fantinel spent 21 days away from office. He returned on March 21 and, in the following session, asked the Bahians to forgive him for his statements, stating that “he made a mistake because he is human” and saying that he would accept a conviction by his peers, but “as long as it is done by someone who has never made a mistake”.

This Tuesday’s session had demonstrators with posters in favor of Fantinel for his support for farmers in Serra Gaúcha. The councilor, in turn, said he admitted his mistake.

“We need to take a really big blow to change. Radical ideology is no longer part of my life in this house. I didn’t kill anyone, I didn’t rape anyone, I didn’t deviate and I didn’t mistreat anyone. There are people who did that and today it’s forgiven” , said Fantinel.

Elisandro Fiuza (Republicans) said that the councilor “had the manliness to recognize his mistake” and that he would already be answering for him “in the proper sphere”.

The speeches favorable to the loss of mandate stated that the councilor’s speech would have affected the image of the city.

“It’s sad to know that Caxias has become a national headline for such a sad episode, which does not represent what this city is in fact”, said councilor Tatiane Frizzo (PSDB), who chaired the commission that evaluated the case and gave a favorable opinion on the impeachment. .

With the maintenance of the mandate, the process is archived and Fantinel continues to exercise the position until 2024.

The councilor also faces three actions that ask for compensation for collective moral damages. The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPF) filed a claim for compensation against Fantinel of BRL 250,000. There is also a public civil action, filed by attorney Fabiano de Moraes, and another filed by NGOs linked to social movements to combat racism that ask for compensation of R$ 1 million.