A Jewish organization is threatening to go to court to stop a Carnival group from parading in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday with a float that invokes the Holocaust with a mound of mannequins.
Eliane Lorca, a spokeswoman for the Viradouro samba group, said on Tuesday that the group received a letter of protest from the Jewish Federation of Rio de Janeiro. She would not say whether the group would back down, and refused to show the float to journalists.
The float is one of eight the group has been building for its 80-minute parade. The group's theme is "Shockers," and other Viradouro floats will portray cold, fear and birth as "things that give you goose bumps." The Holocaust float would show a mound of mannequins and have no dancers or samba performers, in respect to the victims of Nazi slaughter.
But even without dancers, the float is offensive, the Jewish group said. Federation president Sergio Niskier said he objected three months ago when Viradouro consulted him about its idea, and that he was surprised when the group announced on Monday that it would include it in its parade.
"Good intentions aren't enough," Niskier wrote on his federation's Web site. "Our concern and our arguments haven't changed."
Viradouro insisted its Holocaust float is not meant to offend anyone.
"The float is extremely respectful, it's a warning, it's something shocking that we don't want to happen ever again," said Paulo Barros, Viradouro's artistic director.
"If we had people dancing on top of dead bodies, that would indeed be disrespectful," he said.
In the past, other carnival groups have changed their floats in response to objections from the Roman Catholic Church, which doesn't want depictions of the Virgin Mary or Christ.
Meanwhile, actors posing as Portugal's royal family joined the fictional King Momo at the start of Rio's Carnival celebrations on Tuesday to mark 200 years since the court's arrival in Brazil.
Various samba groups have chosen as their theme the 1808 event that briefly made Rio the capital of the Portuguese empire.
Carnival King Momo in red and golden robes and his samba-dancing entourage crossed the city in three antique carriages escorted by 19th-century guards on horseback to receive a giant symbolic key to the city at the Carnival center.
The highlight of the Carnival celebrations are two parades on Sunday and Monday night by 12 samba groups, each featuring up to 6,000 dancers in the Sambadrome stadium. Next Monday and Tuesday are public holidays.
Seven people sustained mostly minor injuries in an airplane fire in South Korea, authorities said yesterday, with local media suggesting the blaze might have been caused by a portable battery stored in the overhead bin. The Air Busan plane, an Airbus A321, was set to fly to Hong Kong from Gimhae International Airport in southeastern Busan, but caught fire in the rear section on Tuesday night, the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said. A total of 169 passengers and seven flight attendants and staff were evacuated down inflatable slides, it said. Authorities initially reported three injuries, but revised the number
‘BALD-FACED LIE’: The woman is accused of administering non-prescribed drugs to the one-year-old and filmed the toddler’s distress to solicit donations online A social media influencer accused of filming the torture of her baby to gain money allegedly manufactured symptoms causing the toddler to have brain surgery, a magistrate has heard. The 34-year-old Queensland woman is charged with torturing an infant and posting videos of the little girl online to build a social media following and solicit donations. A decision on her bail application in a Brisbane court was yesterday postponed after the magistrate opted to take more time before making a decision in an effort “not to be overwhelmed” by the nature of allegations “so offensive to right-thinking people.” The Sunshine Coast woman —
BORDER SERVICES: With the US-funded International Rescue Committee telling clinics to shut by tomorrow, Burmese refugees face sudden discharge from Thai hospitals Healthcare centers serving tens of thousands of refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border have been ordered shut after US President Donald Trump froze most foreign aid last week, forcing Thai officials to transport the sickest patients to other facilities. The International Rescue Committee (IRC), which funds the clinics with US support, told the facilities to shut by tomorrow, a local official and two camp committee members said. The IRC did not respond to a request for comment. Trump last week paused development assistance from the US Agency for International Development for 90 days to assess compatibility with his “America First” policy. The freeze has thrown
PINEAPPLE DEBATE: While the owners of the pizzeria dislike pineapple on pizza, a survey last year showed that over 50% of Britons either love or like the topping A trendy pizzeria in the English city of Norwich has declared war on pineapples, charging an eye-watering ￡100 (US$124) for a Hawaiian in a bid to put customers off the disputed topping. Lupa Pizza recently added pizza topped with ham and pineapple to its account on a food delivery app, writing in the description: “Yeah, for ￡100 you can have it. Order the champagne too! Go on, you monster!” “[We] vehemently dislike pineapple on pizza,” Lupa co-owner Francis Wolf said. “We feel like it doesn’t suit pizza at all,” he said. The other co-owner, head chef Quin Jianoran, said they kept tinned pineapple
RSS