Argentine tourist accused of racism in Brazil: ‘I didn’t realize the gravity of the gesture’

Agostina Páez, an Argentine tourist currently facing a racism charge in Brazil, gave her version of events following her return to Argentina last week.  Páez, a 29-year-old lawyer, had been under house arrest in Brazil since mid-January for making racist gestures at a group of men, a scene which was caught on video.  She returned to her home province of Santiago del Estero on Thursday after paying nearly US$19,000 in bail. According to Páez, it all started when one of the men made obscene gestures at her over an incorrectly charged bill at a bar where she had gone with her friends while on vacation. “I saw them grab their genitals,” she explained during an interview with streaming channel Olga on Monday. “I didn’t realize the gravity of my gesture. It wasn’t because of the color of their skin. I saw someone grab their genitals, and that was the response that came to me.” Páez said that when she received a notice to report to the police station about an accusation of using racial slurs, she thought it was fake. “I thought it was a hoax. When I arrived, they told me I couldn’t leave [Brazil], that I had to wear an electronic ankle monitor, and they showed me the video,” she said, adding it was at that point when she broke down.  “I didn’t know what to do. It was total ignorance on my part regarding racism; later, I began researching Brazil’s historical context.” Further problems for Páez Although she is back home, things are far from resolved for Páez. Brazilian prosecutors had originally requested a two-year prison sentence, which could be replaced with community service to be carried out in Argentina, as well as a fine of around US$50,000 for each of the three victims.  However, a recent viral video of Mariano, her father, imitating his daughter’s gestures at a party could aggravate her situation. According to Argentine outlet La Nación, the plaintiffs are now attempting to use the images to raise compensation to almost $150,000 each. In the video, Mariano Páez can be heard saying he’s “a businessman, a millionaire, a loan shark, and a drug dealer.” According to La Nación, the plaintiffs intend to use it as evidence of the Páez family’s solvent financial situation, focusing on the father, who paid the bail. “I wanted to die, I didn’t know what to do,” said Agostina Páez about the moment she learned about her father’s leaked video. “I thought, ‘I can’t believe I just arrived, I’m seeing my friends, and my father goes and does this, knowing how hard it all was for me, how much harm it can do to my case.’” She went on to add that she felt “very angry and very ashamed” and that while her father accompanied her through her situation, “he often has manners [she] doesn’t share.”