The couple made up of a white man and woman, caught imitating monkeys in July this year, in a samba circle, in Rio de Janeiro, was indicted by the Civil Police for the crime of racism, this Wednesday (20), the Day of Black Consciousness.
The case gained notoriety after journalist Jackeline Oliveira felt offended by the attitude considered racist and registered a report at the police station. She recorded the couple imitating monkeys on the night of July 19th in Praça Tiradentes, a region with bohemian tradition, in the city center.
The images are part of the investigation opened by the Racial Crimes and Intolerance Offenses Office (Decradi). The accused are teachers, a Brazilian and an Argentinean. The two were interviewed by Decradi during the investigations.
When justifying the indictment, the conclusion of the investigation points out that “the act carried out negatively associated individuals or groups, especially in relation to the black population, since this behavior is fraught with a history of racism, since the comparison between black people and monkeys has been widely used to dehumanize and discriminate against them throughout history.”
Another excerpt notes that “even considered as ‘jokes’, these behaviors can perpetuate traumas and social inequalities, hurting people’s dignity, which makes it essential to raise awareness and educate society about the historical and emotional impacts of such actions”.
Investigation time
The report will be sent to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which can report the couple to court. The Civil Police reported that the investigation began immediately after news of the crime and that the images were analyzed and witnesses were interviewed, in addition to the teacher couple. THE Brazil Agency questioned whether the four-month period before indictment could be considered adequate, but received no response.
THE National Radiobroadcaster of Brazilian Communication Companythe Civil Police informed that the time of four months can be considered normal for this type of investigation, that the investigation is a technical piece – with analysis of images and taking statements, including outside the country – and that the conclusion on the 20th November is not related to the Black Consciousness holiday.
For Jackeline Oliveira, the indictment have being made on the first national holiday of Black Awareness Day is symbolic and brings hope for justice.
“No progress comes without a fight and every fight is collective, especially the fight against racism,” he told Brazil Agency.
“It took four months to wait for the investigation to become a process and reach the Public Ministry, but it arrived, and I believe that justice will be done! Let’s fight for it”, he added.
The crime of racism is non-bailable and imprescriptible. In case of conviction, the expected penalty is two to five years in prison.
More reports
The journalist believes that the case can help more people not be inhibited from reporting cases of prejudice and discrimination.
“We, black people, were never encouraged to fight for our rights, to denounce. Today we know that the law needs to guarantee our rights, especially the good life”, he states.
“If I could give a message to people who suffer or have suffered from this crime, it is: report it. Don’t be silent because the less we remain silent, the more voice we give our generation.”
THE Brazil Agency was unable to contact the defense of the accused couple.
