PT calls journalist who relativized Hamas’ actions “persecuted”

The PT came to the defense, in recent days, of journalist Breno Altman, who stated that Hamas is “a decisive part of the Palestinian resistance against the colonial State of Israel” and added that “it doesn’t matter what color the cats are, as long as they hunt rats” . His posts on social media were removed on the 24th by order of the São Paulo Court of Justice (TJ-SP) and became the target of an investigation by the Federal Police.

The TJ-SP’s decision came after an action filed by the Brazilian Israeli Confederation (Conib). The PF investigation, revealed by the far-left website Brazil 247responded to the request of the Federal Public Ministry (MPF).

The lawsuits against Altman, who is openly leftist, are a rare case of censorship with a reversed bias that bears similarities to the multiple silencing suffered by right-wing journalists in recent years. The ABI (Brazilian Press Association) spoke out this Saturday (30) about the situation.

“For ABI, this investigation sounds like obvious harassment of a critical journalist. An attempt to silence him with the threat of criminal prosecution, which is inconceivable in the democratic rule of law, which all of us journalists are always committed to defending, notably in recent years”, stated the entity, which asks the MPF or the Federal Court to arrange for “the closure of this investigation”.

On Twitter, Altman attacked Conib, calling it a “thug of Bolsonaristas”, and provoked the Lula government, criticizing its inertia “in the face of the anti-democratic maneuvers of a foreign agency in our institutions”. PTism responded promptly to the journalist’s appeal.

In an official statement, the PT stated that there is a “political persecution” against Altman and that his position against the “massacre of the Palestinian people” is “firm and correct”. On October 12 of this year, Altman explicitly relativized the terrorism carried out by Hamas. He stated that even if one disagrees with Hamas’ policies and methods, the organization is “a decisive part of the Palestinian resistance against the colonial state of Israel” and added: “it doesn’t matter what color the cats are, as long as they hunt mice.”

The party also said that Conib, author of the action against Altman, “acts on behalf of the Israeli government” in Brazil. Conib, however, has no direct link with the government of the State of Israel; it only represents the Jewish community in Brazilian territory. The Israeli Federation of the State of São Paulo, a precursor association to Conib, was created in 1946, even before the existence of the State of Israel.

The president of the PT, Gleisi Hoffman, published a tweet with similar content, stating that there is “persecution of journalist Brenno Altmann [sic]for its firm position against the massacre of the Palestinian people by the ultra-right government of Israel” and repeating the false information that Conib “acts on behalf of that government in our country”.

Conib published a statement of repudiation against Gleisi and highlighted that Altman “promotes anti-Semitism and disinformation, relativizing the murders and rapes committed by Hamas and calling Jews ‘rats'”.

In a tweet responding to Gleisi with hundreds of likes, user Allan Marcos, who identifies himself as a Zionist, states that the PT president’s accusation against Conib “is serious.”

“The Zionist ‘doctrine’ is not responsible for the massacre. Zionism has several aspects and in common they all believe that Jews have the right to self-determination in part of their ancestral land”, explained the user. “Defending the Palestinian state, side by side with Israel, is the just cause. Defending the end of the only Jewish state in the world is anti-Semitism. I await the trial of the president of Conib, the new Dreyfus in the 21st century. You are pathetic”, he added.

Check out the notes and posts about the Breno Altman case in full

PT note:

The investigation of journalist Breno Altman by the Federal Public Ministry and the Federal Police constitutes a case of unfair and unacceptable persecution of a political nature.

The action against the journalist is motivated solely by his firm and correct stance against the massacre of the Palestinian people by Israel’s ultra-right government.

The situation becomes even more serious when the persecution is demanded by the Israeli Confederation of Brazil (Conib), which acts on behalf of the Israeli government in our country.

In view of this, the Workers’ Party expresses its absolute contradiction with the action of State institutions against a Brazilian citizen for expressing his opinion.

The intolerance is not Altman’s, but the entity that denies Jews the right not to accept the Zionist doctrine, responsible for the massacre of the Palestinian people.

Gleisi Hoffman’s tweet:

The persecution of journalist Brenno Altmann is very serious [sic], for his firm stance against the massacre of the Palestinian people by Israel’s ultra-right government. Altmann is persecuted by the Israeli Confederation of Brazil (Conib), which acts on behalf of that government in our country. With the participation of MPF and PF agents, they want to condemn him for his opinions. We cannot be complicit in this persecution. The intolerance does not come from Altmann, but from an entity that denies Jews the right not to accept the Zionist doctrine, responsible for the historic massacre of the Palestinian people.

Note from Conib regarding Gleisi Hoffman’s tweet:

The Brazilian Israeli Confederation (CONIB) repudiates the comments made by the president of the Workers’ Party, deputy Gleisi Hoffman. Journalist Breno Altman, founder of the Opera Mundi website, promotes anti-Semitism and disinformation, relativizing the murders and rapes committed by Hamas and calling Jews ‘rats’, which was recognized by the Public Ministry and the Justice, which determined the imposition of fine and removal of posts. The president of the Workers’ Party insists on defending him, questioning judicial decisions. Furthermore, the Deputy makes a prejudiced statement in relation to CONIB, that is, of dual loyalty, classic jargon of anti-Semitism, which deserves total disapproval.

Tweet removed by journalist Breno Altman, from 10/12:

We may dislike Hamas, disagreeing with its policies and methods. But this organization is a decisive part of the Palestinian resistance against the colonial State of Israel. Remembering the Chinese saying, at this point it doesn’t matter what color cats are, as long as they hunt mice.

ABI note on Altman’s case:

The Brazilian Press Association, through its Press Freedom and Human Rights Committee, publicly expresses its surprise at the information that the Federal Public Ministry ordered the Human Rights and Institutional Defense Department of the Federal Police, of the Regional Superintendence of the DPF in São Paulo, the opening of a Police Inquiry to investigate journalist Breno Altman, editor of the website Opera Mundi.

According to the information published this Saturday morning on the Brasil 247 website, the investigation is the result of an unreasonable complaint from the Brazilian Israeli Confederation, which in a biased and convenient way labels Altman’s criticisms of Zionism as anti-Semitism.

ABI recalls that the 1988 Constitution guarantees freedom of expression to each and every citizen. Likewise, supported by this constitutional principle, the Federal Supreme Court has guaranteed freedom of the press through numerous decisions, guaranteeing all journalists the right to criticism.

Confusing the anti-Zionist positions of Altman – a Jewish citizen – with the crime of anti-Semitism is playing into the hands of those who defend the genocide that the Israeli government commits in Palestine, by causing thousands of murders, including innocent children.

For ABI, this investigation sounds like obvious harassment of a critical journalist. An attempt to silence him with the threat of criminal prosecution, which is inconceivable in the democratic rule of law, which all of us journalists have always strived to defend, especially in recent years.

In this sense, it understands that the MPF itself or the Federal Court, respecting the democratic rule of law and the Citizen Constitution, must ensure that this investigation is closed.

Certain that the democracy that emerged victorious on January 8, 2023 will prevail and be respected, the ABI awaits action from those responsible for this situation to put an end to the intimidation campaign that Altman has been suffering.