José Thomaz Costa Júnior

Tenente Coronel José Thomaz Costa Júnior is the commander of the 9th Battalion of Special Police Actions (Baep) in São Paulo, Brazil. He recently came into the spotlight for addressing a controversial ceremony involving his battalion, where officers were filmed making gestures reminiscent of the Nazi salute while gathered around a burning cross. Costa Júnior defended the event as a symbolic representation of victory for new police recruits, denying any links to supremacist ideologies. His statements aimed to clarify the intent behind the ceremony, which was intended to celebrate the completion of training for new officers, amidst significant public scrutiny and backlash.