A 32-year-old singer reported being a victim of racism and sexual harassment while performing at an establishment in Morro de São Paulo, a district that is part of Cairu, Bahia. The incident, which occurred on the night of August 5, 2026, gained visibility after the artist released a video detailing the situation on social media.
Singer Renata Nascimento reported that a 53-year-old Italian tourist began harassing her during her musical performance there. In a recording made by the singer herself, the man is seen asking: “I want you. What is your value?”
Renata said that, initially, she tried to avoid any interaction with the individual, but noticed that he continued his approach in an insistent manner. According to her report, the Italian pointed his cell phone in her direction and called her a “slave” twice.
“As at no point when he tried to interact with me, I didn’t look at him, he pointed his cell phone at me and said ‘slave’ twice. As if I was telling him to look at him”, said Renata.
Given the scenario, the singer decided to film the situation to gather evidence of what was happening. She positioned the device on a microphone stand and continued with her work as the man approached.
“At that moment I understood that I had to film that situation, because, if not, I wouldn’t be able to leave with proof of what he was doing”, explained the artist.
Renata added that the man left his table and sat down on a chair next to her. He would have turned his seat towards the singer, remaining to stare and forcing interaction.
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“Until the moment he started asking what my sexual value was, because he wanted to have an object of pleasure for himself by any means and unfortunately I was the target of this harassment”, he declared.
The singer also revealed that the establishment’s employees had already noticed the tourist’s inappropriate behavior. Waiters reportedly reported that the man was accompanied by a woman and that he also hurled racist insults at her, using terms such as “preta” and “negra”. The woman would have left the place before the episode of harassment against Renata.
The suspected tourist was detained by authorities
The Military Police were called after customers and employees reported the offenses. The corporation reported that teams from the 31st Battalion identified the suspect and took him, along with the singer, to the Territorial Police Station (DT) of Valença.
The Civil Police, in turn, reported that the Italian citizen was charged with the crimes of sexual harassment and racial discrimination.
The suspect remained in custody until the custody hearing, held on August 6, 2026. At that time, the 1st Criminal Court of the District of Valença ordered the man’s preventive detention.
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As the detainee is of Italian nationality, an interpreter was assigned to assist in translating the hearing in real time. A copy of the court decision was also provided in Italian.
Italian already had a conviction and was serving a sentence for another crime
The determination of preventive detention took into account the fact that the Italian was already serving a semi-open sentence due to a previous conviction.
The Court of Justice of Bahia (TJ-BA) reported that the man had received the benefit from the 1st Drug Court of the District of Salvador. Among the conditions imposed were the restriction on visiting bars, nightclubs and similar establishments, in addition to the prohibition on consuming alcoholic beverages.
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The TJ-BA clarified that the previous conviction dates back to a 2013 case, in which the Italian allegedly promoted a cocaine “tasting”.
For judge Cidval Santos Sousa Filho, responsible for the decision, the new incident demonstrated the risk of criminal recurrence and non-compliance with the conditions established by the Court. The Italian was then transferred to the Valença Penal Complex.
Singer explains that she managed to remain calm during the attack
In a new interview, Renata stated that she had already experienced similar situations in the past. However, these previous episodes did not result in consequences for the attackers due to the lack of evidence.
“I’ve been through this type of situation at other times and nothing happened to the attackers precisely because I was on edge and couldn’t record it,” she explained.
For the singer, being able to record part of the approach was crucial so that the case could be forwarded to the competent authorities.
“Having already been through these situations, I managed to remain calm and did my best to help ensure that justice was done to him,” he said.
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Morro de São Paulo recorded another episode of racism recently
The incident occurred less than a month after a similar case involving a foreign tourist in Morro de São Paulo.
In July, an Argentine tourist was investigated for racial slurs after an episode in a restaurant in the district. The investigation indicated that the case took place during the World Cup semi-final, and the Court ordered the preventive arrest of the Argentine, identified as Sebastian Fernando Ayala.