Statement of condemnation against act of racism at Conectas office building

The incident occurred on the morning of Thursday, February 20, at a meeting with social movements and civil society organizations that combat institutional violence

On the morning of Thursday, February 20, Conectas co-organized a meeting at our offices with social movements and civil society organizations that combat institutional violence.

When the guests arrived, one participant suffered an act of racism during the identification process at the entrance to the building. Other participants also reported racist treatment at the reception of the building.

The seriousness of the episode caused enormous suffering and indignation among all those present, who were gathered precisely to address strategies to combat State violence, which is underpinned by structural racism. The incident led to the suspension of the meeting.

Racist acts like the one today are frequent in black people’s lives and must be combated firmly to avoid any form of complicity. Conectas is committed to fighting against structural racism and we will demand that the building administration take the necessary measures. Our continued presence at the building is subject to concrete measures being taken to ensure that episodes like this are not repeated.

Conectas strongly condemns all forms of racism. As a human rights organization, it is our responsibility to confront racism in the different spaces we occupy, including our office building, in order to promote safe and welcoming places for all people.

The meeting “Forensic elements for the defense of human rights” was organized by Conectas, the Forensic Archeology and Anthropology Center (CAAF) of the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), the Mothers of May Movement and the organization Redes da Maré. The following social movements and organizations participated: Centro de Direitos Humanos de Sapopemba, Circuito de Favelas por Direito, Comunidade Quilombaque, Direito à Memória, Educafro, Fala Akari, Fórum de Manguinhos, Iniciativa Direito à Memória e Justiça Racial da Baixada Fluminense, Mães de Luto da Zona Leste, Movimento Mães de Maio de Salvador, Open Society Justice Initiative, Papo Reto, Rede de Mães e Familiares Vítimas da Violência de Estado da Baixada Fluminense-RJ, Rede de Proteção e Resistência ao Genocídio, Verdade e Justiça Racial and Witness.