Podemos, the party of state deputy Arthur do Val (SP), decided to open internal disciplinary proceedings against him for sexist statements about Ukrainian women refugees from the war. The statements, released yesterday (4), were sent by him in a WhatsApp group and soon leaked to the press. The party considered the deputy’s speeches “very serious and unacceptable”.
“Very serious and unacceptable are the statements of state deputy Arthur do Val, which were published in the press. They are not limited to complete disrespect for women, whether Ukrainian or from any other country, but profound violations related to humanitarian issues, at a time when these people are facing the horrors of war,” the party said in a statement.
“Pode strongly repudiates the statements and, based on them, immediately institutes an internal disciplinary procedure to investigate the facts. Until this moment, the party had not been able to contact the deputy, who was in flight”, concluded Podemos.
declarations
Arthur do Val, who is a pre-candidate for the government of São Paulo, went to Ukraine in the midst of the conflict in the country and even posted a photo on social media where he would be helping to produce Molotov cocktails for the fight against the Russians. Upon leaving the country, on the border with Slovakia, the deputy sent an audio to friends, praising the beauty of the refugees. He then stated that he intends to return to Eastern Europe and said that women are “easy” because they are poor.
“As soon as this war is over I will come back here. And detail, they look. And they are easy, because they are poor. And here my Instagram letter, full of subscribers, works great. I didn’t catch anyone, we didn’t have time, but I stuck to two groups of mines and it’s unbelievable how easy it is”.
He described the line for refugees from Ukraine as superior, in terms of appearance, to “the line for the best nightclub in Brazil at the best time of year”. In addition, he said that the receptionist at the hotel where he stayed had “hit on” him. “My God, there’s no way this is happening,” he then stated in a tone of admiration.
Reactions in Brazil
The deputy’s statements caused outrage in Brazil as soon as they became public. On Twitter, the Minister of Women, Family and Human Rights, Damares Alves, classified the deputy as “disgusting, low, dirty” and called for the removal of his mandate.
The Legislative Assembly of São Paulo (Alesp) stated, in a note, that the episode will be treated “with rigor and seriousness by the spheres of investigation of the Parliament”. “Alesp stands in solidarity with women, especially Ukrainian women, and reinforces its struggle in defense and protection of all, represented by historical achievements, effective actions and laws in force”, he concluded, in a note.
The rejection of the deputy was such that it motivated a note of repudiation by Senator Marcos do Val (Podemos-ES). In the note, in addition to condemning the statements, he clarifies his non-kinship with Arthur. “I would like to take this opportunity to reinforce to everyone that I and the deputy, Arthur do Val, are not even remotely related. Just the coincidence of the same last name.”
“Moment of Excitement”
Upon arriving in São Paulo, this morning (5), Arthur do Val was questioned by the press about his statements. He claimed to have made “a mistake in a moment of excitement”.
“That’s not what I think. What I said was a mistake in a moment of excitement. The impression I get here is that I got there, there were a lot of people, and I said ‘who wants to come with me, I’m going to buy something’. It’s not that. I went to do one thing, I sent an unhappy audio and the impression that passed is that I went to do something else”.
He stated that the “mission” that motivated his trip was in one context and the audio he sent to friends, once he left Ukraine, was in a different context. “It wasn’t the best of poses, but it’s a private audio,” he added.
