The spectacle of misfortune and the laboratory of stigma - H2FOZ

AI-powered art directed, edited and post-produced by Claudio Siqueira Foz do Iguaçu, May 2025.

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By Claudio Siqueira – OPINION

The recent report by Fantástico entitled “The worst neighbor in the world” exposed an extreme case of daily violence and institutional omission in Foz do Iguaçu. The victim, Giovana Nantes, a veterinarian, has lived for years under threat, aggression and vandalism committed by her neighbor José.

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A daily hell

The article mentions a case from 1998 in which José allegedly attacked a neighbor's dogs, with no direct connection to Giovana Nantes. The case involving Giovana, according to current reports, began in the 2000s, with episodes of threats, aggression and vandalism directed at her. No justification for this act has been publicly recorded to date, nor has he presented it to the authorities or the press.

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Since then, the escalation of violence has included vandalism, threats to children and constant intimidation. Giovana says she only hasn't left the house because she has nowhere else to go.

The community reacts

Videos and reports circulated on social media, with complaints from neighbors and public outrage. Popular pressure forced the authorities to take action. That's how the case ended up on Fantástico and gained national attention.

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The silence about mental health

At the end of the article, almost as a footnote, Fantástico mentions that the attacker has been diagnosed with a mental disorder. At this point, the impact has already been felt, and the judgment has been made. This is not about acquitting anyone, nor covering up the crimes committed — but rather recognizing that omitting or minimizing the psychiatric dimension compromises the integrity of the narrative. Even more serious is exploiting a mentally ill person as if they were fully conscious and driven by pure evil as the villain of a soap opera. This is sensationalism. This is tabloid journalism. Where were the State, the police, social services and public health? When institutional responsibility is transferred to the sick individual, the result is moral lynching, incitement to hatred and even the risk of physical aggression by exalted vigilantes. The article, in fueling this catharsis, fails to address the essential: the system failed to protect both the victim and the attacker.

The weight of the spectacle

The story was written like a horror script. Soundtrack, dramatic cuts, absolute villainy. A drama set up for Sunday night, with all the sensationalist tools: emotion at its peak, complexity at its lowest. When a person with a serious mental disorder is portrayed as a lucid criminal, without any institutional mediation, what is done is to build a spectacle on top of the collective misfortune. The State failed the victim. But it also failed the aggressor, by leaving him without any support. The story turns this failure into a script. It gave the public a closed story, with an enemy ready to be hated — ignoring everything that was behind it. It chose the show. And the show needs a villain.

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The choice of Foz

Unfortunately, there are many cases like Giovana's in the country. But Fantástico chose Foz do Iguaçu. And that is not neutral. Globo has a well-known history: when it needs a setting for chaos, crime or disorder, it points the camera at Foz. Border, three countries, three currencies. It is exotic enough to become a spectacle and far enough away not to disturb the axis. The city becomes a metaphor for lack of control. It serves as a supporting character for the usual plot: the deep Brazil as an aberration.

Interestingly, the broadcaster rarely applies this same tone to the cities where it is based. São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro have much higher rates of violence and institutional neglect. But there the framing changes. It becomes a social crisis. In Foz, it is barbaric. And the audience applauds.

Foz is home to one of the largest Arab communities in the country. But this never becomes a positive topic. However, the imagery of terrorism, smuggling and distrust appears every time the city is on national television. Globo has been feeding this stereotype for decades. It is no coincidence. It is an editorial choice.

The case of Assad Ahmad Barakat is an emblematic example. Arrested in 2018 with extensive coverage by Globo, he was accused of financing international terrorism from the Triple Frontier. At the time, the arrest warrant was issued based on information from Interpol, at the request of the Paraguayan authorities. Barakat denied all the accusations and, after a court trial, was convicted only of document forgery, classified as an administrative crime for improper use of civil records.

No court has convicted him of terrorism, and the accusation of links to Hezbollah has not been supported by formal evidence. Even so, Globo's coverage highlighted the most alarmist version, contributing to reinforcing stigmas against the region and its communities. [Agência Brasil, 2020 / CNN Brasil, 2022]

Globo’s editorial line thus often serves geopolitical interests aligned with the US. Brazil, like the UN, does not recognize Hezbollah as a terrorist group. But that has not stopped the broadcaster from repeating this label in its reports on the border. By reinforcing this discourse, Globo helps to paint Foz as an international threat — a narrative useful for external pressure. Recently, the US tried to classify the PCC and Comando Vermelho as terrorist organizations, without a legal basis, paving the way for interventions under the pretext of hemispheric security. [Reuters, 2025 / Gazeta do Povo, 2023]

Another geopolitical fact that is rarely discussed is the strong presence of the Chinese community on the border. Most of them come from Taiwan, which has close commercial ties to the United States. But there are also migrants from mainland China who have settled and invested in the region. Part of this presence favors US interests; another part brings Brazil closer to China. And for Washington, any gesture of Sino-Brazilian rapprochement is unwelcome. Globo is doing its job when it chooses to attack this melting pot of cultures. Foz, in the end, represents everything that bothers the single discourse. [Rede Globo / H2FOZ / BBC Brasil]

And there is more. Foz do Iguaçu competes directly with Rio de Janeiro in tourism and hotels. It is one of the main tourist destinations in Brazil, with infrastructure for international events and congresses. It also competes with Asunción for the logistical centrality of events in the trinational region. If Foz is well-regarded, it threatens the symbolic monopoly of Rio — Globo's city. The deconstruction of Foz's image is convenient. It serves to maintain the center of attention concentrated where it has always been. [H2FOZ]

And there’s more. But that would require another text. Foz is home to UNILA — the Federal University for Latin American Integration. A project that brings together students and researchers from dozens of countries, promoting science, culture and intellectual sovereignty in the Southern Cone. UNILA positions Brazil as a regional articulator, with a proposal for integration that bothers those who prefer a fragmented continent. By attacking Foz, Globo reinforces prejudice against foreigners and feeds the idea that what comes from abroad holds the country back. It’s a subtle xenophobia. And effective. Because, in this storyline, discrediting Latin American intelligence is the way to keep Brazil on its knees. [UNILA / Cadernos da América Latina – UFRGS]

Urgent reflections

The case exposes the failure of the State on two fronts: protecting the victim and treating the aggressor. José acted for decades under the noses of the authorities. No measures worked. No one was able to save Giovana from terror or stop José from continuing. At the same time, it exposes an institutional media that behaves like a tabloid press, omitting the responsibilities of the public authorities and exploiting the tragedy with entertainment narratives. It is clear that Globo's editorial board is guided by the interests of those who hold economic and geopolitical hegemony, not by a commitment to truth or social justice.

Conclusion

The report sparked outrage and mobilized the country. And, unfortunately, the State only acts when it is shown on television. It is worth noting that cases of horrible abuse like these, committed by powerful people against small and defenseless people, do not receive the same attention and remain unpunished. The question remains: how many Giovanas have not yet appeared on Sunday night? Because what is at stake is not an isolated case, but the way Brazil chooses to look at its borders — and at itself.