SAO PAULO—A Brazilian court has decided to convict three neo-Nazis for attacking Jewish men wearing kippahs in 2005.
The three Jewish men were attacked when walking on a street in Porto Alegre. The skinheads spotted them from inside a bar and came out to beat them and stab one of them in the stomach.
While the Jewish men were being assaulted, three skinheads prevented other people from intervening to help the victims.
The three ne-Nazis, who are part of a criminal organization of skinheads that preaches prejudice against certain racial and social groups, including Jews and blacks, were convicted of attempted aggravated murder with religious motivation and sentenced to various prison terms.
Fernando Lottenberg, president of the Jewish community of Brazil, said 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.”
The World Jewish Congress (WJC) welcomed the court’s decision. “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,” said WJC CEO and Executive Vice President Robert Singer. Singer said.