What is known about the impasse between Nunes and the Municipal Theater manager after the Charlie Kirk case?

Sustenidos, the organization responsible for managing the Theatro Municipal de São Paulo since 2021, intends to appeal the contract termination process announced last Saturday 20th by the capital's mayor, Ricardo Nunes (MDB).

The trigger for the termination of the contract was an online post in which a Sustenidos employee criticized the commotion surrounding the death of far-right activist Charlie Kirk in the United States. Pedro Guida, who worked as a casting manager, shared a video on his personal profile with the message that "you shouldn't cry for a Trump supporter," accompanied by a comparison to the stance of Nazis.

The post gained traction after being shared by Federal Representative Nikolas Ferreira (PL-MG), who contacted Nunes to request Guida's immediate dismissal. The action was part of a larger movement orchestrated by parliamentarians and far-right activists to "punish" opponents who criticized Kirk or celebrated his death.

The controversy escalated last week when Sustenidos refused to comply with an express resignation request. The refusal prompted Nunes to escalate his stance and demand the termination of the contract with the social organization, alleging that there had been repeated notifications from the Municipal Court of Auditors about irregularities in the contract since 2023.

"We asked the organization to fire the individual, but they didn't. Therefore, they condoned this behavior. And anyone who condones violence isn't fit to serve the city," Nunes explained to G1.

In 2023, the TCM had ordered the launch of a new notice, after the contract was considered “legally flawed from the outset” due to flaws in the evaluation of proposals, lack of proof of minimum experience and problems in the execution of the budget proposal.

In a joint note sent on Friday 19, the Municipal Department of Culture and the Municipal Theater Foundation reported having received a new letter from the court, with a deadline of 48 hours to inform about the opening of a public call for the hiring of a new supporting organization.

What does the Sharps say?

In a statement, Sustenidos stated that it considered Guida's publication inappropriate and incompatible with the ethical values ​​that guide the institution's work, which led to the opening of a procedure in the Ethics Committee to investigate the case "in all its complexity, in order to enable the analysis of risks, guarantee due process, adversarial proceedings and full defense."

The organization's defense emphasizes that Guida's opinions, while open to criticism, do not constitute hate speech. It also emphasizes that there is no evidence of objective harm or causal connection between the post and the alleged damage to the Theater's image.

For Sustenidos, the terms of the contract make clear the managerial autonomy that allows it to decide on the dismissal of its employees.

Regarding the pending issues with the TCM, he stated that a question is being processed in court regarding the city hall due to the bidding process, presented by an organization that lost the bid.