This Wednesday (19), videos circulated on social media showing Paraná state deputy Renato Freitas (PT) in a street fight with an unknown man. In the video, the two exchange punches and kicks on a road in the center of Curitiba (PR).
In a video published last night, the parliamentarian said he reacted after experiencing racism.
“The reason was the same one that made me fight in the street since I was a child: racism, humiliation, insults, violence and aggression,” he stated.
In the images, Freitas and the other unidentified boy appear to be striking each other. The deputy kicks him twice and then receives a punch to the face, which breaks his nose. Another video captures the two punching across the street and ending up on the sidewalk on the other side. At that moment, people interfere and separate the two. It is not possible to identify how the fight started.
The deputy says that the The man he fought with threw his car at him.
“I was with my friend, also black, crossing the street, and the guy rammed his car into us.” Renato says he didn’t react, but the man rolled down the window and cursed him. “He got out of the car and came to fight.”
According to the politician, the boy followed him and his advisor while filming.
“He was filming and I didn’t imagine he would start attacking. And I didn’t start either, but he was filming and that was exactly what he wanted.”
On social media, the PT national president, Edinho Silva, repudiated the aggression suffered by the deputy. He highlighted that Renato Freitas is a recognized leader “in the anti-racist fight, for equality, democracy and rights” and has been a frequent target of racism and political violence.
“The deputy has been a constant target of fascism because he defends his ideas with courage, supports the equality project in the state and remains faithful to the defense of programs that improve the lives of working people. What happened is unacceptable and criminal. We express our total solidarity and support for comrade Renato Freitas. We will not accept that racism tries to silence voices that were born from popular mobilization and that continue to fight to transform the country”, he said in the message.
Freitas’ political career has been marked by persecution since he was a councilor in Curitiba. In 2020, he was sentenced to open prison for a protest in the capital of Paraná. In 2022, his mandate was revoked by the City Council for allegedly breaking into a church, which Freitas denies. The revocation was annulled by the STF.
