Painter is beaten after being mistaken for a thief in a bar in Rio de Janeiro

A 31-year-old painter was beaten in São Gonçalo, Rio de Janeiro, after being mistaken for a thief.

Wellington Conceição da Silva registered a police report at the 73rd DP after the images of the attacks, which took place on Saturday (7), reverberated on the internet this week.

In the video, the painter appears sitting on the sidewalk, his face badly bruised and being kicked in the face. Even after explaining to the attackers that it was a mistake, Wellington continued to be brutally attacked.

“Why did you come here to steal?”, asks the aggressor, while kicking the victim in the face.

The victim replies, “I didn’t rob anyone.” According to the painter, the reason for the aggressions was the color of the skin.

THE CNN , the victim’s lawyer, Rejane Ferreira Moço, said that the video was recorded and released by the owner of the bar Papo de Amigo Pub. According to her, the man is the one who appears in the images kicking Wellington in the face.

For the lawyer, the case represents a clear example of structural racism, since no objects were found with the painter and no one came forward as a victim of Wellington.

The defense representing the owner of the bar Papo de Amigo Pub, in São Gonçalo, stated that his client will give testimony at the 73rd DP, on Monday (16), to clarify what happened.

“My client will provide the necessary clarifications to highlight the facts and reasons that led him to error and take a wrong action, I emphasize that unlike the reported information there is no racial connotation or even there was any type of threat after the facts to the victim , even as soon as possible there will be a retraction to him (victim) and all his family members due to this exposure in the media”, says, in a note, the lawyer Reinaldo Pereira dos Santos.

Wellington da Silva has two daughters and revealed to be scared and embarrassed after the images of the attacks went viral.

Racial injury equivalent to the crime of racism

The law that equates racial injury with the crime of racism is already in force. The text, approved by the National Congress at the end of last year, was sanctioned on Wednesday (11) by the President of the Republic, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT).

The act took place during the official ceremony of Anielle Franco as Minister of Racial Equality.

Racial injury is characterized when a specific person is offended because of race, skin color, ethnicity, religion or origin. Already the crime of racism occurs when the aggressor hits a group of people.

With the change in the law, the conducts typified as injury become non-bailable and imprescriptible. The penalty for those who commit the crime, until then 1 to 3 years in prison, can vary from 2 to 5 years in prison.