Judge sentences Zé María for speech against the State of Israel

PSTU-B will appeal and reaffirms its struggle in support of the Palestinian people

On Tuesday, the 28th, the 4th Federal Criminal Court sentenced PSTU President Zé María to two years in prison for the crime of “racism.” What is most surprising is that the decision stems from a speech by Zé María in defense of the Palestinian people, denouncing the genocide and the colonialist regime imposed by the State of Israel on occupied Palestine.

The case was brought by Zionist organizations, such as CONIB (Israeli Confederation of Brazil) and FISESP (Israeli Federation of the State of São Paulo). These same entities, in the face of the erosion of support for the State of Israel due to the ongoing genocide that has already claimed the lives of more than 67,000 people in Gaza—mostly women and children—launched a campaign of persecution and judicial harassment against journalists and public figures who spoke out against this massacre.

For Zé María, this decision “has no basis, whether historical, political, or legal.” The decision stems from a distortion perpetuated by Zionist organizations that falsely equate “Zionism” with “Judaism.” “Zionism is in no way a religion or an ethnic group; it is a far-right ideology that does not represent the people,” emphasizes the president of the PSTU.

“Saying that the State of Israel must end has nothing to do with preaching against the Jewish people; it is the same as saying that the apartheid state of South Africa had to end, and that did not mean calling for the death of white South Africans, but rather advocating for the end of a state of racial segregation,” he argued. In fact, there is no law in the country that provides a legal basis for such a decision, as Zé María has merely expressed his opinion against a massacre that has been widely condemned around the world.

According to Zé María, “the argument used by these Zionist entities stems from the desperation of trying to defend the indefensible, since the entire world is witnessing the genocide of the Palestinian people perpetrated by that racist, colonialist, and genocidal state of Israel.” It is worth recalling that, this very Tuesday morning, the Brazilian Foreign Ministry itself confirmed the death of a family, including a child, in southern Lebanon, victims of Israeli bombings.

Free Palestine, from the river to the sea

In the face of a decision with no legal basis, the PSTU will appeal to the Federal Court of São Paulo (TRF3). Beyond that, the party will not back down one inch from its condemnation of the State of Israel and the successive crimes against humanity it has been perpetrating under the gaze of the world. “We will continue our struggle in defense of the Palestinian people, against genocide, and for the end of the Zionist, racist, and colonialist State of Israel—for a secular, democratic, and non-racist Palestine, where all peoples—Jews, Arabs, and those of all ethnicities and religions—can live together peacefully,” affirms Zé. “Free Palestine, from the river to the sea,”