A social-media post by retired University of Rio de Janeiro professor Marcos Dantas Loureiro triggered public outcry after he wrote “só guilhotina” (“only guillotine”) under a photograph of businessman Roberto Justus’s five-year-old daughter, Vicky, carrying a Fendi handbag priced at roughly R$14,000. The remark circulated widely over the weekend of 6 July, with other users echoing threats. Justus and his wife, Ana Paula Siebert, responded on Sunday in a video message, calling the comment an incitement to violence and announcing that their lawyers would pursue civil and criminal measures against Dantas and additional individuals they say encouraged harm. “We will not accept threats against our family,” the businessman said. On Monday, the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro distanced itself from the episode, noting that Dantas has been retired since 2022 and stressing that his views do not represent the institution. In a formal note the university and its School of Communication said they “repudiate any expression that incites violence or attacks third parties.” Facing possible litigation, Dantas issued an open letter on Tuesday apologising to the family and describing the guillotine reference as a historical metaphor for social inequality rather than a personal threat. He said he had “no intention” of advocating violence. The apology has not altered the Justus family’s plan to seek legal redress.