Gay Jesus Netflix Special Creators’ Brazilian Headquarters Attacked With Molotov Cocktails

UPDATED with latest Porta dos Fundos statement: The headquarters of Brazilian comedy group Porta dos Fundos, creators of Netflix Christmas special The First Temptation of Christ which implies Jesus is gay, was attacked by molotov cocktails on Christmas Eve. The group revealed news of the attack on Twitter.

“In the early morning of December 24, on Christmas Eve, the headquarters of Porta dos Fundos was the victim of an attack. Molotov cocktails were thrown at our building,” the comedy group wrote. “We will move on, more united, stronger, more inspired and confident that the country will survive this storm of hatred and love will prevail alongside freedom of speech,” they said.

The comedy group said a security guard at the building headquarters was able to contain the fire and no one was hurt, according to Reuters.

“Porta dos Fundos condemns any acts of violence and has therefore made the security camera images of the attack on our building available to the authorities,” the group said in a statement. “We hope that those responsible for the attacks will be found and punished. Our priority at this time is the safety of our entire team. We remain united, strong, inspired and confident that our country will survive this storm of hatred and love will prevail along with freedom of speech.”

The First Temptation of Christ is a 46-minute Portuguese language comedy that portrays Jesus returning home from the desert for his 30th birthday with a flamboyant male companion, Orlando, and implies that the two are romantically involved. The special has sparked a critical outcry, with around two million people signing a petition calling on Netflix to remove the show because it is offensive to Christians.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has declared himself a “proud homophobe” has said he would prefer a “dead son to a gay son. His son, Eduardo Bolsonaro, recently called Porta dos Fundos’ comedy special “garbage” on his Twitter account, saying the filmmakers “do not represent Brazilian society.”

Netflix declined comment. In a statement earlier this month in response to the petition, Porta dos Fundos said it “values artistic freedom and humor through satire on the most diverse cultural themes of our society and believes that freedom of expression is an essential construction for a democratic country.”