Moraes equates STF actions with England’s resistance to Nazis

In the order authorizing the search and seizure operation against the leader of the opposition, deputy Carlos Jordy (PL-RJ), the minister of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), Alexandre de Moraes, equated the actions of the STF in 8/1 with England’s resistance against the Nazis.

“Brazilian Democracy will no longer support the ignoble policy of appeasement, the failure of which was amply demonstrated in the attempted agreement between then English Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler,” said Moraes in an excerpt from the decision issued on January 4, 2024.

Moraes cited the former Prime Minister of England, Winston Churchill, in a complimentary tone while criticizing the stance of Churchill’s predecessor, the former English Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, who went down in history with the title of “coward” after having ceded territories to the German dictator, Adolf Hitler, to avoid war with the Nazis.

The failure of Chamberlain’s appeasement policy occurred with the Nazi invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, the date that marked the beginning of the Second World War. Hitler invaded Poland despite having, a year earlier, concluded the “Munich Agreement” with the British in which he annexed part of the Czech border to Germany in exchange for the promise to resolve future conflicts peacefully.

Chamberlain resigned on May 10, 1940, and Churchill took over in his place. Churchill was notable for his confrontation with the Nazi leader.

“Absolutely everyone will be held civilly, politically and criminally responsible for acts that undermine Democracy, the Rule of Law and Institutions, including intentional collusion – by action or omission – motivated by ideology, money, weakness, cowardice, ignorance, bad faith or bad behavior. Brazilian Democracy will not be shaken, much less destroyed, by terrorist criminals. The defense of Democracy and Institutions is non-negotiable, because as still remembered by the great English Prime Minister, ‘building can be the slow and difficult task of years. Destroying can be the impulsive act of a single day,’” said Moraes in another part of the order.

This is not the first time that the judge has used comparisons with the former English Prime Minister to justify his actions towards those accused of participating in 8/1.

Moraes used the same quote in the justification he gave for temporarily removing the governor of the Federal District (DF), Ibaneis Rocha (MDB), on January 9, 2023.

“Public agents (current and former) who continue to behave intentionally in this way, cowardly colluding with the breakdown of Democracy and the installation of a state of exception, will be held responsible, because as Winston Churchill taught, ‘an appeaser is someone who feeds a crocodile waiting to be the last to be devoured’”, wrote Moraes, at the time, after criticizing Chamberlain’s “appeasement policy”.