Gerald Thomas apologizes after defending Leo Lins: ‘I was wrong and I’m sorry’

Gerald Thomas Sievers, 70, turned back after leaving publicly in defense of humorist Leo Lins, sentenced to eight years in prison for making jokes with a criminal and prejudiced content. The playwright, known for his more than 50 years of career in the theater, used social networks to portray himself and said he was “dismayed, embarrassed and sad.”

“I was taken by the headline of the thing, not knowing who the guy was. Only after having published all this was that I was aware. I should never have done it,” Gerald said in a video published on Instagram, commenting on the previous posts in which he defended the comedian’s freedom of expression.

The director said he had deleted the publications and apologized to those who were offended. “I removed the three posts I made about the freedom of expression of a humorist who, if I had paid attention to the content, would never have written what I wrote,” he said. “Unfortunately, I came to this conclusion late.”

Following, Gerald explained that, when faced with the headlines about the prison sentence, he managed against what he understood to be a threat to freedom of expression. According to him, however, he had not deepened about the content of the humorist. “What I defended was the right to expression, not the content. When analyzing in depth, it is really crazy what it does. It’s horrible and disgusting.”

Gerald also stressed that his artistic history is incompatible with any form of hate speech. “Anyone who knows me and knows my work in theaters knows that I am not homophobic, Nazi … just the opposite. So I could never defend this kind of horror. I’m sorry,” he added.

The playwright stressed that, despite defending the principle of freedom of expression, it cannot be used as a shield to disseminate offensive or criminal speeches. “Do not support the kind of ‘joke’ that this guy does. It causes me revulsion. And I deceively regret having rushed me without knowing who it was.”

The speech occurs days after Leo Lins is condemned by the São Paulo Justice. In his presentations, the comedian has already made jokes with themes involving people with disabilities, ethnic minorities and victims of tragedies. “Everyone makes mistakes, and I made a mistake ugly. But I also need to know how to recognize the mistake,” said the director.