Tofrani de Hora Lawrence, a Christian pastor in Rio de Janeiro who regularly incited against Jews and incorporated shocking antisemitic remarks during his sermons, including calls for a second Holocaust against the Jews, was sentenced to a dramatic 18-year prison sentence.
Last Thursday, a Brazilian federal court judge, Valeria Caldy Magallas, handed down the unusual prison sentence against the priest.
The pastor has been documented in many cases when he utters particularly harsh words against Jews.
Among other things, a document was published in 2020 in which he asked God to slaughter and humiliate Jews.
"Massacre the Jews God, beat them with your sword, because they left you. They went with prostitutes and when they were told to repent they said they would do it but lied. God, you must do what you did in World War II again," he said.
Last February, police raided the antisemitic church and arrested de Hora Lawrence as part of a joint operation with the Jewish community.
Armed police officers raided the church and led the pastor to custody on suspicion of a series of serious antisemitic remarks and suspicion of incitement.
It should be noted that the antisemitic priest became already in 2009 the first person convicted in Brazil for religious intolerance.
Four years later he and other members of his congregation were arrested for racism, homophobia and xenophobia.
Attorney Ricardo Sidi, who represents the Jewish community in the country, welcomed the achievement, which he called historic.
"This is a historic victory in the fight against anti-Semitism. This is the most serious criminal conviction in the history of Brazilian law for this type of crime, which should serve as an example to the world," he told Israel Today.
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