NOT THE SHARPEST KNIVES IN THE DRAWER: Springtime For Hitler At Carnival In Rio
It’s Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – featuring a two-day Samba parade, with elaborate, eye-catching floats and barely dressed dancers to usher in the Lenten period from February 6 (Ash Wednesday) to March 23 (Easter Sunday) in the Catholic nation. This year, hoping to best 11 other top samba clubs, Viradouro came up with a theme for its float that was sure to be an attention-grabber: "It Gives You Goose Bumps," which was to include a float with a pile of naked, emaciated corpses representing Holocaust victims (complete with dancing Hitlers, according to the parade permit).
Viradouro explained that the Holocaust float – one of a group of floats that also “depict[ed] the shock of birth and cold” – was meant “to remind carnival-goers of past horrors to prevent them from happening again,” reports The Associated Press.
The Jewish Federation of Rio de Janeiro sued on the grounds that the float violated Brazilian laws banning racism and Nazi propaganda, and Rio de Janeiro state Judge Juliana Kalichszteim put the kibosh on the float, calling it “clear trivialization of barbaric events." Viradouro could be fined $113,000 if it defies the judge’s order and includes the naked mannequins on its float, as well as $28,000 for each cavorting Hitler.
In other years, samba groups have run afoul of the Catholic Church with themes that included the Virgin Mary or Jesus Christ.
[Hat Tip: The Heel, an Ivy-educated attorney with a prestigious New York firm.]
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