The World Jewish Congress has welcomed a Brazilian court’s decision to convict three neo-Nazis of attempted aggravated murder, 13 years after three Jews wearing kippahs were attacked in Porto Alegre.
“The World Jewish Congress stands with our affiliated community in Brazil in praising the decision to finally bring the perpetrators of this horrific crime to justice,” said WJC CEO and Executive Vice President Robert Singer. “It saddens us that the traumatized victims and their families have had to wait so long for due process, but we hope that the verdict reached this week will send a clear message to all that antisemitism, hatred and violence will not be tolerated.”
“Brazil is home to a strong and thriving Jewish community, who are proud citizens and proud Jews, and who have every right in the world to live freely and securely, without threats of violence or attack,” Singer said.
Fernando Lottenberg, president of the Jewish Confederation of Brazil (Conib), issued the following statement following the verdict: “Despite the lengthy process of reaching a decision, the conviction and sentence send a clear message: crimes of racist or anti-Semitic motivation must be strongly opposed and reprimanded. There is no place for supremacist ideologies in a democratic country like Brazil.”