The governor of Santa Catarina, Jorginho Mello (PL)said, on Wednesday (15), that the city of Pomerode (SC) stands out for “the color of people’s skin”.
The statement was made during the opening of the 40th Festa Pomerana, a traditional event held in the municipality that celebrates Germanic culture in the Vale do Itajaí region.
“Pomerode stands out for its tourist beauty, for its half-timbered houses, for the color of people’s skin, for its mix, for what it represents for all of us,” he stated. The speech is available in audio on the website of the Social Communication Secretariat of the government of Santa Catarina.
“So, here in Pomerode, all the people who come here come back. It’s a sign that you liked and it’s a sign that makes a difference in people’s lives. So, that’s why celebrating, supporting, helping a party like this is an obligation of the state government”, stated Jorginho.
So far, Jorginho Mello’s advisors have preferred not to comment.
“Most German city in Brazil”
Pomerode is known for being the “most German city in Brazil” due to the large number of descendants of the country who live in the municipality, which has 34,289 inhabitants, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). IBGE also calculated that 80.3% of residents are white.
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The city has a strong influence from German settlers in its history and preserves architectural features such as half-timbered houses, a typical German style that combines wood, stones and bricks. The appreciation of this cultural heritage is one of the main bases of local tourism.
The city is located around 170 kilometers from Florianópolis, the state capital, and is neighboring the municipality of Blumenau, another important cultural center of German colonization.
PSOL sends complaint to the MPF
The PSOL of Santa Catarina sent a complaint against the governor to the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) for the “possible commission of the crime of racism” due to the statement. “He said that Pomerode, a city of German origin, ‘stands out because of the color of people’s skin’”, stated the party’s lawyer, Rodrigo Sartoti, on X (formerly Twitter).
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Florianópolis councilor Leonel Camasão (PSOL) classified the governor’s statement as “absurd” and demanded rigor from the courts.
“PSOL/SC and our mandate forwarded a complaint to the Attorney General of the Republic so that criminal action can be proposed against Governor Jorginho Mello for the possible practice of racism. As this is a common crime, it is up to the STJ to prosecute and judge the governor”, he stated.
