The case occurred on May 10, on a flight to Frankfurt, Germany, with a stopover in Santiago, Chile.
A Chilean was arrested on Friday, 15th, at São Paulo International Airport, in Guarulhos, after doing racist and homophobic comments against a Latam flight attendant. During an argument, he called the victim a monkey, made sounds imitating the animal and said that it was a problem for him that the employee was gay.
The case occurred on May 10, on a flight to Frankfurt, Germany, with a stopover in Santiago, Chile.. The argument would have started because the man tried to open the aircraft door during the flight.
According to the Federal Police, he was arrested for racial and homophobic insults against the flight crew.. “After the formal communication of the victims to the Federal Police, an investigative procedure was initiated that resulted in the preventive detention of the person being investigated by the Federal Court. The individual was located and arrested upon returning from Frankfurt, connecting in Brazil”, said the corporation.
The Federal Police have not confirmed the man’s identity.
In a statement, Latam Airlines says it strongly repudiates any discriminatory and violent practices. “The company fully collaborates with the Federal Police in the case of the passenger who committed discriminatory violence against one of its crew members on flight LA8070 (São Paulo-Frankfurt), on May 10 (Sunday), and who was detained at Guarulhos airport on May 15 (Friday). Latam also clarifies that it provides psychological support and legal support to the employee who was the victim of this violence.”
Offenses
A video published on X shows the Chilean arguing with airline employees and saying that one of them is “gay”. The employee then asks what’s wrong with being gay.
The Chilean responds: “It’s a problem for me to be gay.” The flight attendant responds, questioning whether it is also a problem that he is black.
“Black skin, the odor of black people”, responds the Chilean, in a negative and contemptuous tone.. At that moment, two flight attendants asked the man to return to his seat, otherwise he would be removed from the flight.
The man makes fun of the request and insults the flight attendant again. “You are black, mono (Spanish word for monkey),” he says. Then repeat the word and imitate the animal’s sounds.
A law enacted in January 2023 in Brazil equated the crime of racial insult – when someone is offended due to race, color, ethnicity or national origin – to that of racism. The penalty is two to five years in prison.
