Suspected anti-Semitic attack against Jewish woman in Bahia is investigated for racism and insult

The woman suspected of an anti-Semitic attack against a Jewish shopkeeper, in Arraial d'Ajuda, in the south of Bahia, gave a statement this Sunday morning, 4th, according to the Civil Police. According to delegate Paulo Henrique de Oliveira, coordinator of the 23rd Regional Police Coordination of the Interior, she was released because there was no arrest. The woman, a Chilean citizen whose name was not released, is being investigated for crimes of racism, insult, serious threat, qualified damage and attempted aggression.

Images posted on social media show a woman attacking a Jewish shopkeeper, identified as Herta Breslauer, 54, and calling her a “Zionist, child killer” on Friday the 2nd.

A man holds the woman and tries to take her out of the store, but she knocks objects off the store shelves and tries to attack the storekeeper. “Zionist, child killer. I’m going to get you, you damn Zionist”, screams the woman.

According to the delegate, when the Military Police arrived, they no longer found the person being investigated, who had mingled with the tourists – the district in the municipality of Porto Seguro is an important tourist hub in Bahia.

Delegate Oliveira told the Estadão that the Civil Police asked the Court to adopt precautionary measures. “As there was no arrest in the act, we request that the author of the facts investigated be prohibited from contacting the victim, by prohibiting her from leaving the country for the duration of the process, and by prohibiting her from visiting the victim’s commercial establishment. “, he said.

According to the delegate, the content of the statement remains confidential due to the continuity of the investigations. “In general terms, the person investigated claimed that he takes controlled medication, that he already knew the victim and lost his temper, but that he did not attack the trader, as he was restrained by his partner. We received the report of the expert examination carried out by the victim and there are really no injuries, but the progress of the investigation should indicate whether, in addition to the other possible crimes, she will be charged with attempted bodily harm or attempted bodily harm, which is a criminal misdemeanor”, explained.

According to the delegate, the police investigation was opened at the Arraial d'Ajuda Territorial Police Station and investigates possible crimes of racism, insult, serious threat and qualified damage, in addition to attempted bodily harm.

According to him, the content of the police report and other information relating to the investigation of the case will not be disclosed until the investigation is concluded.

In a statement, the Civil Police of Bahia reported that, during interrogation, the person being investigated confessed to the insults, but denied being anti-Semitic or a terrorist.

He claimed that he already knew the victim and had been provoked by him before the events, having been called a terrorist and accused of abandoning a child. Still according to the interrogation, she uses controlled medication and had a rage when passing in front of the victim's store.

Herta's lawyer, Lilia Frankenthal, told the reporter that the victim is very scared and chose not to speak to the press. “Herta is very shaken. She has lived there for 14 years and nothing has ever happened, she is a discreet person.”

Herta underwent an examination at the Legal Medical Institute (IML) to determine possible injuries resulting from a slap to the face. “Although no injuries were found, it was in fact a criminal misdemeanor due to the slap she received.”

According to the lawyer, Herta and the woman accused of assault knew each other. “Their children are childhood friends. They are not friends, but they already knew each other. It is said that some time before this event they had a discussion about the Israeli war, but nothing relevant and after that they did not speak to each other.”

On Friday, Herta was alone when the woman entered. “The attacker asked her if she was happy and slapped her in the face. Then she started swearing and breaking everything. Herta started filming and her boyfriend forcibly took her away,” she said.

Lilia said that she requested the arrest of the suspect, based on Law 14,532/2023, of January last year, which equates racial insults with the crime of racism. The new law made the penalty more severe, with imprisonment for two to five years, in addition to a fine, with no bail. The crime does not prescribe.

According to legislation, any attitude or treatment given to a person or minority groups that causes embarrassment, humiliation, shame, fear or undue exposure, and that would not usually be given to other groups due to color, ethnicity, religion or origin.

In a joint statement, the Israeli Confederation of Brazil (Conib) and the Israeli Society of Bahia classified the aggression against the Jewish trader as “repugnant”.

“Anti-Semitism must be condemned by everyone, and its explosion in recent months here in Brazil and around the world is a consequence of hateful and distorted views about Israel and Jews expressed by personalities and distributed through social media. This needs to end to avoid even more serious consequences”, says the note.

The report was unable to contact the person being investigated. During her statement to the Civil Police, she was not accompanied by a lawyer and, until the beginning of the afternoon, she had not appointed a defender for the process. The space is open for defense.