Ananindeua PL President ordered to retract social media posts

A labor court in Brazil has ordered Carolina Pereira Arruda da Costa, the municipal president of the Liberal Party (PL) in Ananindeua, to issue a retraction following social media posts regarding political convictions in the workplace.

The decision follows a public civil action filed by the Labor Public Ministry of Pará and Amapá. The legal challenge was prompted by a video in which Costa allegedly advised employers to dismiss employees for political-electoral reasons, suggesting they use economic recession or cost-cutting as justifications to hide discriminatory motives.

The judge ruled that the messages exceeded the limits of political opinion by encouraging employers to conceal discriminatory practices. The court ordered Costa to remove the offending posts within one hour and prohibited her from inciting or guiding employers to discriminate against, harass, or refuse to hire workers based on political beliefs.

Separately, Costa announced via social media the suspension of voluntary Christmas charity initiatives for children in Pará communities. She linked the cancellation to the election results and the administration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, suggesting that government social programs rendered her volunteer work unnecessary.