A COURT ordered former president Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, to pay one million reals (US$188,000) in damages and issue a public apology for racist remarks he made while in office.
The Federal Regional Court in the southern city of Porto Alegre made the ruling. This followed a decision by Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court, which sentenced the former president to 27 years and three months in prison for a coup attempt 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 2021 broadcast. The court found the remarks caused collective moral damage by eroding societal values.
In the 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. They rejected the defense’s argument that it was a “joke.”
One judge said the remarks had “offensive and discriminatory content toward the black population in general” and were “discrimination disguised as a joke.” He said the comments go beyond freedom of expression and contribute to perpetuating the idea of “white supremacy.”
The ruling may be appealed at a higher court. / XINHUA