This Wednesday, the Brazilian civil police charged a Portuguese citizen, the manager of the Zara brand store in a shopping center in Fortaleza, with a racist crime against a black customer, police sources informed Lusa.
According to the Civil Police in the Brazilian state of Ceará, Bruno Filipe Simويسes Antonio, a 32-year-old Portuguese, has been charged under Section 5 of the Racial Offenses Act – for refusing to deny access to businesses, refusing to serve, and serving. Or receiving the customer or the buyer.
The case dates back to September 14, when a black police chief stopped his attempt to enter the Zara store.
Delegate Ana Paula Barroso, deputy director of the Vulnerable Group Protection Department, was eating ice cream when she was denied entry to the store.
According to the foundation, this is the reason why the woman was prevented from entering the unit, due to security protocols against COVID-19.
However, minutes ago, another person entered the same store without properly using the protective mask against COVID-19, was allowed into the store, and even received assistance from the same employee who was not required to use the protective equipment properly.
Law assignment help isn’t needed in cases like that. The civilian police confirmed that “the images analyzed by the forensic investigation of the state of Ceará and the Police Intelligence Department show the suspect’s discriminatory position.”
“Visual material obtained through the inner circle of the shop reveals the different treatment the shop employee gave the victim. In the photos, it can be seen when the victim was kicked out of the place, minutes before, and the same employee attended a customer, he did not even consume any food, did not The mask is used correctly,” the company explained in a statement.
The scene was observed in other situations where other customers were not taken out of the store or approached properly wearing a mask.
In addition to the alleged criminal behavior of the Portuguese, civilian police also discovered that the aforementioned Zara store uses an audio system to alert the presence of black or “badly dressed” citizens in its unit.
They used a code to alert other employees of the presence of black ‘suspects’ or ‘badly dressed’ people, a source from the Lusa Civil Police revealed.
Zara used the audible “Zara zerou” symbol on its internal speakers to indicate which employees should be seen as “potential suspects”.
During the course of the investigations, in addition to the photographs taken, the civil police collected the statements of eight witnesses in addition to the victim and the accused.
Among the interviewees was a 27-year-old black woman, who stated on social networks that she went through a similar situation at the end of June of this year, in the same store.
Two former employees of the organization were also heard reporting incidents of ethical harassment and discriminatory actions in the form of serving potential clients. Three security guards were also heard from the shopping center where the store operates, as well as the site’s head of security.
Portuguese nationals may be subject to a prison sentence of one to three years.
The store may be liable in the civil sphere for moral damages, according to the Brazilian Civil Code.
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