Two petrol bombs were thrown at the Rio de Janeiro headquarters of Porta dos Fundos, creators of the Netflix gay Jesus Christmas Special in the early hours of December 24.
The Brazilian comedy troupe’s film “The First Temptation of Christ,” a 46-minute comedy that portrays Jesus bringing home his presumed boyfriend Orlando to meet the Holy Family, sparked outrage in Brazil weeks ago.
The attack is coming after over 2 million people have signed a petition calling for the boycott of show because it offended Christians.
The group later reacted to the backlash saying it is homophobic to be offended by the film.
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A representative for the group told Brazilian news portal UOL that the Molotov cocktail attack resulted in a fire, which was put out by one of the office’s security guards and that no one was hurt, “even though the incident put several innocent lives at risk”.
“In the early morning of December 24, on Christmas Eve, the headquarters of Porta dos Fundos was the victim of an attack. Molotov cocktails were thrown at our building,” the comedy group said in a statement.
“We will move on, more united, stronger, more inspired and confident that the country will survive this storm of hatred and love will prevail alongside freedom of speech,” the comedians said, adding that video footage from security cameras had been handed to the authorities.
Porta dos Fundos won an Intl. Emmy for its prior Jesus-themed 2018 Christmas Special, “The Last Hangover,” in which his disciples wake up after a Last Supper blow-out, where Thomas contributes hard drugs and prostitutes, to discover Jesus is nowhere to be seen.
Brazil is home to the world’s largest Catholic community as well as a fast-expanding evangelical community with increasing political influence.
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President Jair Bolsonaro, who has described himself as a “proud” homophobe, once told an interviewer he would rather have a dead son than a gay son. Earlier this year he suspended funding for a series of films, including a handful with LGBT+ themes. The decision was later struck down by a federal court.
His son, Eduardo Bolsonaro, recently called Porta dos Funds’ Christmas special “garbage” on his Twitter account, saying the filmmakers “do not represent Brazilian society.”
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