Topless in Rio

A decision by authorities in Rio de Janeiro to clamp down on topless bathing on the city's beaches appears to have backfired after the arr...

A decision by authorities in Rio de Janeiro to clamp down on topless bathing on the city8217;s beaches appears to have backfired after the arrest of one woman caused an outcry. Heavily armed police have been patrolling the beaches since the start of the season. The city8217;s Secretary of Security, Josia Quintal, justified the action by saying: 8220;The police are only doing what the law requires.8221;

However, publicity surrounding the arrest of one topless bather, who was surrounded on the beach by 20 police officers armed with automatic weapons, has rebounded on officials. It provoked scores of women to go topless on the Copacabana and Ipanema beaches in protest 8212; and has resulted in a rethink by city officials.

The arrest of 34-year-old Rosimeri Moura da Costa, who was roughly pulled up and dragged across the sand to jail after she refused to put on her bikini top, set off a tussle with other sunbathers. Her husband, Antonio, 62, also rushed to help as dozens of others looked on in amazement, including a filming television crew.

8220;This was a bit too heavy handed,8221; admitted Rio State Governor Anthony Garotinho. There were no instructions by the regional government to fight topless bathing using armed police, he said. Personally, said Garotinho, he did not want to fight topless bathing because, after all, 8220;only those who want to look will look8221;. Yet, he added, there could be no complaints against the arrests of people who disregarded the law by sunbathing on the beach without a complete bathing outfit.

Ultra-mini bikinis have long been fashionable on Brazil8217;s beaches, but local women have generally preferred to keep their tops on. Paragraph 233 of Brazilian legislation allows much room for interpretation on just how undressed bathers can be.

A conviction for 8220;obscene deeds8221; can lead to a jail sentence of between three and 12 months. However, only completely nude bathers 8212; mainly tourists from Europe 8212; have been picked up by police, without any hue or cry, for this misdemeanour. The few women who have bared their breasts on the beaches have been generally tolerated.

The letters page of the influential daily newspaper O Globo was this week full of complaints from Rio8217;s residents on the police clampdown. Letters said the arrest was shocking, hypocritical and worthy only of a dictatorship. Some readers said foreign tourists would now stay away from Rio, preferring instead to visit 8220;civilised countries8221;.

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Laur Schuch, a director of the Brazilian chamber of lawyers, said paragraph 233 was long obsolete. Rio Mayor Luiz Paulo Conde admitted the controversy was likely to spark a 8220;topless summer8221;.

8220;This police attitude has provoked a reaction,8221; he said. 8220;People are going to take off the top part of their bikinis just for the challenge.8221; Environment Secretary Mauricio Lobo believes he has found a solution to the problem.

In view of the latest incident, officials have an action plan to set up a zone for naked bathing. 8220;Rio has over 60 km of beaches, so I am sure we will be able to find a small place for this minority who want to bathe in the nude,8221; he said.

8212; DPA