Luis Carlos Heinze (born 14 September 1950) is a federal senator of Brazil representing his home state of Rio Grande do Sul.[1] He was previously served in the Chamber of Deputies from 1999 to 2019 and was mayor of São Borja from 1993 to 1996.[2]

Luis Carlos Heinze
Heinze in 2019
Senator for Rio Grande do Sul
Assumed office
1 February 2019
Preceded byAna Amélia Lemos
Federal Deputy for Rio Grande do Sul
In office
1 February 1999 – 31 January 2019
Mayor of São Borja
In office
1 January 1993 – 31 December 1996
Personal details
Born (1950-09-14) 14 September 1950 (age 74)
Candelária, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Political partyPP (1998–)
ProfessionAgronomic Engineer

Personal life

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Heinze was born to Darcy Volnier Heinze and Cecy Therezinha Seckler.[2] Of German descent, he is married to Sandra Maria Batista Heinze. He is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil.[3]

Political career

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Heinze voted in favor of the impeachment motion of then-president Dilma Rousseff.[4] Heinze voted for a similar corruption investigation into Rousseff's successor Michel Temer.[5] He voted in favor of the 2017 Brazilian labor reforms.[6]

Along with Paulo Paim, Heinze was elected to the federal senate from the state of Rio Grande do Sul in the 2018 Brazilian general election.[7]

Views

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Heinze is known in Brazil for his strong advocacy of the right to bear arms, which has been a central theme in his election campaigns.[7][8]

In a public hearing held in the municipality of Vicente Dutra in November 2013, Heinze said that "quilombolas, Indians, gays, lesbians" are "everything that is not good."[9] In February 2014 these comments were published in the national newspapers, although Heinze stood by his words and said that he meant what he said. He also said that he supported forming a private militia.[10]

On 7 December 2013 Heinze was the speaker at an event in Campo Grande about passing legislation making it legal to organize militia to protect settlements from native peoples. In his speech Heinze criticized Gilberto Carvalho, saying that his office was a "nest of Indians, blacks, landless people, gays, and lesbians". Heinze later claimed his comments were made in the heat of the moment.[11] As a result of these comments the international indigenous rights NGO Survival International dubbed Heinze the "racist of the year."[3][12]

References

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  1. ^ "Luis Carlos Heinze - RS" (in Portuguese). Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  2. ^ a b "LUIS CARLOS HEINZE – Biografia". Câmara dos Deputados do Brasil (in Portuguese). Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Luis Carlos Heinze é o Racista do Ano, segundo ONG" (in Portuguese). Exame. 20 March 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  4. ^ "Reforma trabalhista: como votaram os deputados" (in Portuguese). Carta Capital. 27 April 2017. Archived from the original on 9 April 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  5. ^ "Veja como deputados votaram no impeachment de Dilma, na PEC 241, na reforma trabalhista e na denúncia contra Temer" [See how deputies voted in the impeachment of Dilma, in PEC 241, in the labor reform and in the denunciation against Temer] (in Portuguese). G1 Globo. 2 August 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  6. ^ "Como votou cada deputado sobre a denúncia contra Temer" (in Portuguese). Carta Capital. 4 August 2017. Archived from the original on 9 April 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  7. ^ a b "Luis Carlos Heinze (PP) e Paulo Paim (PT) são eleitos senadores pelo Rio Grande do Sul" (in Portuguese). G1 Globo. 7 October 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  8. ^ "'Temos que integrar a Polícia Federal, a Polícia Civil, a Brigada Militar', diz candidato ao PP ao Senado". RBS TV (in Portuguese). G1 Globo. 6 September 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  9. ^ "Em vídeo, deputado gaúcho diz que "quilombolas, índios, gays, lésbicas" são "tudo que não presta"" (in Portuguese). Zero Hora. 12 February 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  10. ^ ""Mantenho o que eu disse", diz deputado Luis Carlos Heinze sobre questão da terra no Estado" (in Portuguese). Zero Hora. 12 February 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  11. ^ "Para atacar Gilberto Carvalho, ruralista diz que ele aninha 'negros' no gabinete" (in Portuguese). Estadão. 27 February 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  12. ^ "ONG inglesa elege deputado Luis Carlos Heinze o "Racista do Ano"" (in Portuguese). Terra. 20 March 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2019.