Brazilian Lawyer Convicted of Racism for Calling for Jewish Expulsion

A Brazilian lawyer, Heriberto de Miranda Jordão Filho, has been convicted of racism for demanding the expulsion of all Jews from the leadership of the Brazilian Bar Association. The court in Rio de Janeiro sentenced him to two years in prison, which was commuted to community service. Jordão Filho has stated his intention to appeal the verdict.

The conviction stems from remarks made in March during a meeting of the Bar Association. Following a complaint filed against him by the Jewish Federation of Rio de Janeiro for previous antisemitic statements, Jordão Filho called for "all Jews, Zionists and non-Zionists alike, to be removed from the leadership of the Bar Association and its committees." He also urged the Bar leadership to take action against Israel's operations in Gaza and to identify and expel a Bar member who had sent recordings to the Jewish Federation. Additionally, he called for the closure of the Jewish Federation of Rio de Janeiro.

The judge, Paulo Roberto Sampaio Jangutta, ruled that the lawyer had exceeded the bounds of political criticism by attributing demeaning characteristics to Jews and advocating for their exclusion from institutional roles. The two-year sentence was converted to two years of community service.