The statue life-size statue of Dani Alves that the Brazilian city of Juazeiro had installed in homage to its most famous fellow citizenor it was removed from the square in which it was exhibited after a long controversy and citizen protests after the footballer was convicted in Spain of rape.
The mayor’s office of Juazeiro, a city of about 220,000 inhabitants in the interior of the state of Bahia (northeast), informed the EFE agency that He removed the monument this Monday to respond to a recommendation from the Public Ministry and “in compliance with current laws.”
Before the municipality finally agreed to remove it, which it did in the early hours of this Monday and without prior notice, The statue was the target of protests and acts of vandalism by citizen movements and women’s rights groups. for honoring a footballer convicted of rape.
Despite the motivation for such protests, the Public Ministry (prosecutor’s office) managed to convince the mayor’s office with the argument that The monument violates the legislation of both the municipality of Juazeiro and the state of Bahia, since both prohibit tributes to living people made with public resources.
The Public Ministry took on the case following a complaint filed by activist Manuella Tyler, in reaction to the rape conviction.
In statements to EFE, Tyler stated that the permanence of this sculpture It questioned the “value and dignity of women.”
Alves was sentenced on February 22 to four years and six months in prison for sexually assaulting a 23-year-old girl in a Barcelona nightclub, but he was released from prison at the end of March after having paid the one million euro bail imposed by the Barcelona Court.
As a result of the violation, the statue inaugurated in 2020 on a central avenue in Juazeiro became the object of various acts of repudiation.
The work was covered with a garbage bag and duct tape at the end of last year and in February it was covered in white paint.
On March 8, International Women’s Day, several women demonstrated around him with banners with slogans such as “no to rape culture” and “Daniel Alves rapist.”
The retired statue, the work of sculptor Leo Santana, reproduces the former full-back of clubs such as Barcelona, Sevilla, Juventus, PSG and Sao Paulo wearing the shirt of the Brazilian national team and controlling a ball with his feet.
Alves, who played in three World Cups and was twice champion of the Copa América and twice champion of the Confederations Cup with the Brazilian team, is, with 43 titles, one of the footballers with the most trophies in the world, including the Olympic gold in Tokyo 2020.
*With information from EFE.
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· Details of the party given by Dani Alves after being released from prison on sexual assault charges
· Dani Alves spoke out for the first time since receiving parole