The Public Ministry has filed charges against a professor from the University of Aveiro for making homophobic comments on social media over three years ago, which shocked the academic community.
The 63-year-old professor, residing in Porto, faces charges of discrimination, incitement to hatred, and violence, as indicated in the indictment dated September 23. The case arose from a complaint submitted to the Department of Investigation and Penal Action of Aveiro by the Academic Association of the University of Aveiro, which is acting as an assistant in the process.
The Public Ministry notes that the professor posted several comments on his Facebook page with content described as demeaning and discriminatory towards people within the LGBT community based on their sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity and expression.
A particular focus is on a post made by the professor in June 2022, criticizing the LGBTQ+ community in connection to an advertising campaign that introduced various terms related to this community, such as “gay,” “lesbian,” “queer,” or “non-binary.”
“I think we urgently need an ‘inquisition’ to clear out all this human trash (?)!” wrote the professor at the time, adding that the advertisement was an assault that “deserved some serious rock-throwing at the windows.”
Investigators further report that the defendant made numerous discriminatory comments on a television news channel, where he admitted to being homophobic and advocated violence.
The Public Ministry argues that the defendant was aware that the expressions used were offensive, discriminatory, and encouraged hatred and violence against individuals or groups based on their sex or sexual orientation, identity, and gender expression.
The indictment emphasizes the serious nature of the defendant’s conduct, asserting that it could negatively affect not only his civic integrity but also his role as a professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Aveiro.
Attorney Pedro Teixeira, representing the Academic Association of the University of Aveiro in the case, remarked that the defendant’s behavior is particularly reprehensible, given his social role and the means of communication used for wide propagation and dissemination.
“I also regret the absence of any sign of remorse in these proceedings, leading to a complete lack of moral value,” Teixeira commented, advocating for exemplary punishment to prevent such actions and behaviors from becoming recurrent in society.
Among the witnesses listed by the Public Ministry is the former president of the Academic Association of the University of Aveiro, Wilson Carmo, and past students of the professor.
A source from the University of Aveiro mentioned that the professor was temporarily suspended while a disciplinary process was underway, but has since resumed teaching.
“As a result of the disciplinary proceedings in question, a convicting decision was issued, the validity of which is currently being contested in court through an independent action initiated by the professor,” stated the university.
The defendant now has 20 days from the notification of the charges to request the opening of an investigation to avoid the case going to trial.
