Brazil's ex-president Bolsonaro ordered to pay damages, issue public apology for racist remarks

SAO PAULO, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro was ordered on Tuesday to pay 1 million reals (about 188,000 U.S. dollars) in damages for racist remarks he made while in office and issue a public apology.

The Federal Regional Court in the southern city of Porto Alegre made the ruling after Brazil's Supreme Federal Court on Thursday sentenced the ex-president to 27 years and three months in prison for attempting a coup in 2022.

The latest ruling held Bolsonaro accountable for comments he made about the curly hair of a young man of African descent during a broadcast in 2021, which caused collective moral damage by eroding the values of society as a whole.

In that broadcast, Bolsonaro compared a supporter's afro hairstyle to a "cockroach breeding ground" and insinuated that he had lice.

The judges in the case agreed that his remarks were racist and rejected the defense's argument that it was just a "joke."

Saying the remarks had "offensive and discriminatory content toward the black population in general" and were "discrimination disguised as a joke," Judge Rogerio Fraveto argued that they go beyond freedom of expression and contribute to perpetuating the idea of "white supremacy."

The ruling may be appealed at a higher court. Enditem