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A worker preparing a carnival float depicting the Holocaust, at the Viradouro samba school's warehouse in Rio de Janeiro on Monday. (Reuters) Last update - 21:35 31/01/2008 Brazil judge bans carnival float depicting naked Holocaust victims By The Associated Press Tags: samba, rio de janeiro  A judge issued an order Thursday prohibiting a Rio samba group from parading during carnival with a float depicting naked bodies of Holocaust victims. Judge Juliana Kalichsztein issued the injunction against the float in response to a lawsuit by the Jewish Federation of Rio de Janeiro, which asked for the float be removed from this city's famed carnival parade next week, a spokeswoman for the judge told reporters. The Jewish Federation of Rio de Janeiro filed the lawsuit under federal laws prohibiting Nazi propaganda and racism in Brazil, said Lara Voges, a court spokeswoman. Advertisement Viradouro, a top Rio samba group who planned the float, said it would not comment until its president saw the court's decision. The float was designed to remind carnival-goers of past horrors to prevent them from happening again, the group said. But Jewish leaders were outraged by the float, which contained piles of naked mannequins meant to depict corpses of Holocaust victims. "It's inadmissible that they could have a parade float depicting dead Jews and a live Hitler on top of them," said federation spokesman Jose Roitberg. Rio de Janeiro state Judge Juliana Kalichszteim agreed, calling Viradouro's plans a clear trivialization of barbaric events. Carnival should not be used as a tool for the cult of hate, any form of racism, the judge said. Rio's two-night Samba parade, featuring thousands of scantily clad and elaborately plumed dancers, is the high point of Brazil's carnival celebrations and is televised nationally in a country of 185 million people. During the event, Rio's 12 top-tier samba groups each present an 80-minute parade featuring hundreds of drummers and thousands of dancers who compete to be the year's champion. Each group chooses a theme reflected in music, costumes and floats. Viradouro, which is scheduled to parade early Monday morning, chose the theme, It Gives You Goose Bumps, featuring floats depicting the shock of birth and cold, along with the pile of Holocaust victims. Although the samba group refused to say whether it had planned to have a dancing Hitler, it was listed in the official parade description as part of the float. According to Kalichszteim's decision, the group would face fines of 200,000 reals ($113,000) if it ignored her order by parading with the mannequins and 50,000 reals ($28,000) for each dancer dressed as Hitler. News of the float drew worldwide attention. Earlier this week, the international Jewish human rights group Simon Wiesenthal Center issued a statement of protest. On Wednesday, a second-division samba group agreed to remove swastikas from dancers' costumes following complaints from the Rio Jewish federation. The group, Estacio de Sa, also agreed to drop a section of the parade named after Hitler. "I think it's in terribly bad taste," said sociologist and carnival scholar Roberto DaMatta. "But it makes sense considering the festival's sacrilegious origins," he added. "The only problem is we're not in the Middle Ages anymore. It doesn't work in a modern society," DaMatta said. Past carnival groups have had to change floats because of the Roman Catholic Church, which doesn't want depictions of the Virgin Mary or Christ. In 2004, the Grande Rio group had to alter a float depicting Adam and Eve having sex and another featuring sexy scenes from Hinduism's Kama Sutra after the Catholic Church sued over its parade advocating condom use. Related articles: Local Jewish group protests 'Holocaust float' at Rio Carnival In remembrance of Holocaust, UN chief Ban says 'never again' Holocaust scholar: 'Jew' has become curse word among German youth Holocaust: A children's version More Jewish World news and features Bookmark to del.icio.us   Will power Shas Minister Yitzhak Cohen says only a complete Gaza power cut will bring results. The cost of security U.S. estimate: Preparing Palestinian security forces for statehood will cost $7 billion.   1.   Great: Keeping adding the reason for anti-semitism 18:40  |  Annoyed 31/01/08   2.   But it DOES offend! And it required a lawsuit to point that out. 19:03  |  mea, too 31/01/08   3.   Annoyed#1 - perhaps.... 19:55  |  William 31/01/08   4.   it was respectful 19:55  |  Cristina 31/01/08   5.   Brasil, the carnival. Its a happy occasion! so. 20:11  |  Stephen. 31/01/08   6.   my question is whether the judge... 20:51  |  rootlesscosmo 31/01/08   7.   don`t expect heathens to understand Shoah 21:33  |  don 31/01/08   8.   carnival 21:40  |  Luna 31/01/08   9.   to Cristina 21:43  |  luna 31/01/08   10.   to #1: Israel has nothing to do in it, is a Brazilian judge 21:54  |  Alain 31/01/08   11.   not anti-semitic 22:02  |  Brazuca 31/01/08   12.   Carnaval no Rio 22:04  |  Jose marcio 31/01/08   13.   mea, too - Yes, a talking of Mohammed offends too! 22:53  |  MEA CULPA 31/01/08   14.   William - Sure! 22:55  |  EL TORO 31/01/08   15.   rootlesscosmos 22:58  |  ME 31/01/08   16.   To 7 23:48  |  Cristina 31/01/08   17.   No sense Jews sticking their nose into someone else`s business- 00:35  |  Carnival? 01/02/08   18.   move it to Bahamas or Jamaica 00:37  |  Basmallah 01/02/08   19.   From Brazil 00:46  |  Marco 01/02/08   20.   To Cristina 00:56  |  Jeff 01/02/08   21.   to ME 03:12  |  rootlesscosmo 01/02/08   22.   #15, ME - jews had been in Brazil for 500 years.... 03:52  |  Native Brazilian-Jew 01/02/08   23.   Only Jews Can Profit from Shoah 04:04  |  Jeremy Martin 01/02/08   24.   #15 ME 04:29  |  Yaron 01/02/08   25.   To Jeremy from Kansas #19 07:50  |  mea too 01/02/08   26.   boo hoo cry me a river 08:50  |  typicaljewwhining 01/02/08   27.   Brazil judge bans carnival float depicting naked Holocaust victim 16:04  |  Blogger1 01/02/08   28.   Holocaust Carnival Float 16:31  |  Oscar Soto 01/02/08   29.   Brazil judge bans carnival float 12:43  |  Chris 02/02/08   30.   holocaustFloatCarnival 01:58  |  Yaacob 10/02/08

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