The 46-minute special has attracted a lot of controversy in the heavily-Christian nation of Brazil.
The headquarters of Porta dos Fundos was attacked with petrol bombs on Christmas Eve, weeks after they released a special which sees the son of God return home to Mary and Joseph, bringing with him a presumed male lover, Orlando.
Three masked men from the far-right militia, Command of the People’s Nationalist Insurgency, carried out the attack.
No one was injured in the attack, and the comedy troupe said that a security guard at the building was able to contain the fire.
W Radio Brasil said in a report: “The Command of the People’s Nationalist Insurgency attacked the headquarters of Porta dos Fundos and broadcasted [sic] images of its action. Criminals say the comedy channel is made of a ‘group of cultural Marxist militants.'”
In a statement, the troupe said: “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.
“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.”
The troupe added that security footage of the attack had been passed onto the authorities. The police have confirmed that they have identified a vehicle and a motorcycle used in the attack, and have at least four suspects.
Stuff reports Fabio Barucke, a senior police official saying: “We are going to find those responsible as fast as possible, also to prevent any future actions that this group may be planning.”
Responding to criticism of the film, Fábio Porchat, the co-founder of the troupe said: “It doesn’t incite violence, we’re not saying people shouldn’t believe in God. They [Netflix] haven’t said anything to us like, ‘Maybe we should stop making the special available.’ They support freedom of speech.”
Referencing a previous special from the troupe, which depicted Jesus and his disciples as drunkards, Porchat said: “For some Catholics here in Brazil, it’s O.K. if Jesus is a bad guy, uses drugs: That’s no problem. The problem is he’s gay. No, he can’t be gay.”
A petition calling for Netflix to remove the film reached over two million signatures, however judges from both Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo have rejected calls for the film to be banned.
Telesur reports that Judge Adriana Monteiro said that censoring the film would be “unequivocally censorship decreed by the judiciary” in her ruling.
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