RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Rio de Janeiro Prosecutor’s Office (MPRJ) and the Civil Police yesterday served 4 arrest and 30 search and seizure warrants issued against self-proclaimed Nazi groups.
In addition to Rio de Janeiro, police officers are working in São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná and Rio Grande do Norte.
According to the MPRJ, these individuals are suspected of practicing, spreading and instigating acts of discrimination and prejudice related to race, color, ethnicity and national origin, in addition to the crime of corruption of minors.
Some of the suspects are teenagers. The group is under investigation for publishing photos, images, and texts of racist, homophobic, anti-Semitic, or Nazi nature on social networks and messaging apps. In addition, the group incites the practice of violence against these individuals.
According to the MPRJ, the name of the operation refers to the French nun Denise Bergon, who defied the Nazis by sheltering and saving the lives of dozens of Jewish children during World War II.