Brazilian authorities arrested a Swiss citizen in Rio's international airport Antônio Carlos Jobim, charging the man with racism. According to the airport's federal police, Davide Bianchi, 38, was detained on Sunday, October 21, after he got irritated with an airline company's employee and called her nigger and monkey, in Italian.
At the police station the Swiss national tried to explain his behavior saying that he was mad due to the flight's delay and that all his requests for an explanation had been ignored by the airline's worker.
The federal police called his behavior a racist crime. Other passengers in the area confirmed that they had heard the insulting remarks made by Bianchi.
During his testimony at the police station the man alleged that he was the one who should sue for racism since he felt discriminated when his complaints about the delay weren't answered. He also said that he became even angrier because the employee seemed to be polite with a friend of his, but simply ignored him.
Authorities say that witnesses "showed profound indignation with what happened." These witnesses, say the Police, testified that the Swiss after calling the employee "black" and "monkey" pointed to its own skin, "implying, in principle, practice of racist crime."
Bianchi told authorities that he had come to Brazil with a friend for a boccia championship.
The Federal Police has charged Bianchi with aggravated offense for having offended with racist remarks a Brazilian. The crime carries a penalty from one to three years in jail.
The foreigner was taken to a state prison in Rio. He will be kept in jail until the Brazilian Justice decides what to do with him.
