A 41-year-old Brazilian, Henrique P., was beaten by a group at a ski resort in France on January 29 while wearing a Chewbacca costume from Star Wars. The assault began with snowballs and escalated to severe physical attacks, captured on video. The victim filed a police report for attempted homicide.
Henrique P., a sports marketing professional who has lived in Europe for about five years, told the Folha that the incident took place last Thursday, January 29, at a French ski resort. Dressed as Chewbacca for a group celebration, he was initially targeted by snowballs thrown by a group of people. "They threw a piece of ice at my face. It wasn't a light snowball; it was hard ice, thrown with force. I went over to the group to ask them to stop, and they started insulting me," Henrique said. He attributed the attack to intolerance.
Footage shared on social media shows a man punching Henrique in the face and pushing him to the ground near a tree. Then, others joined in, delivering punches, kicks, and blows with ski poles. People who tried to intervene were also assaulted. Henrique continued to be attacked on the ground, receiving kicks to the head, which resulted in a broken tooth. Fortunately, the helmet he wore mitigated more severe injuries. "They probably fled when they realized many people were arriving dressed up," he stated, noting he was part of a group of 106 Brazilian tourists.
Initial medical attention was provided on-site by a doctor and a dentist from the Brazilian group. Henrique filed a police report with French authorities on Saturday, January 31. According to him, the officers classified the case as attempted homicide due to its severity. "I hope the police find them and put them behind bars," he declared. A witness who posted the video on Instagram corroborated the account, confirming Henrique was hit by snowballs before the main assault. The case gained widespread attention on social media due to the victim's costume and the attack's brutality.
