The Justice of São Paulo acquitted, on Thursday (13), councilor Camilo Cristófaro (Avante) from the case in which he was accused of racism.
During a session of the Applications CPI on May 3, 2022, an audio in which Cristófaro said “They didn’t wash the sidewalk (…) it’s a black thing, right?” leaked. The councilor participated in the session online. Last July, the Public Ministry of São Paulo accused the councilor of racism due to the episode.
In Thursday’s decision, judge Fábio Aguiar Munhoz Soares stated that “it was necessary that not only his statement be duly proven in the records, but also his conscience and willingness to discriminate, because, if it were not like that, it would be enough to cut out speeches of their contexts so that the condemnation of whoever was possible”.
“If the sentence was unfortunate, as the accused admitted, and let it be said, on the other hand, that there is no desire to discriminate in it, because, again, the sentence must be interpreted in the context in which it was uttered, and not as something isolated or as something to be interpreted in different contexts in a kind of legal archaeologism”, completes the magistrate.
Last year, the MP argued, in the complaint, that, with the phrase “it’s a black thing”, the councilor “belittled and belittled the collective of black people by associating it with reprehensible behavior, ratifying negative racial stereotypes and reinforcing cultural representations derogations by expressing contempt for black people, practicing prejudice and discrimination”.
The complaint was based on article 20 of Law 7.716/1989 – “practicing, inducing or inciting discrimination or prejudice based on race, color, ethnicity, religion or national origin” – which provides for a penalty of imprisonment of two to five years and a fine.
A CNN contacted the São Paulo Public Prosecutor’s Office and is awaiting a response.
The councilor’s team, in turn, sent a note stating that “everyone who knows him personally already knew that he never had any other intention than to work for the City of São Paulo as he has always been done, serving everyone, equally, without any distinction”. “After all, that’s what he was voted for and he never failed to fulfill his role”, adds the note.
*With information from Estadão Content
Source: CNN Brasil
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