[cafezinho]

This is the first I've ever heard of a capoeirista using capoeira in a street fight/self defense situation. This article is dated January 15, 2003

http://www.taz.de/pt/2003/01/15/a0236.nf/text.ges,1

The site is in german, but using online translation services, and cleaning up the grammar a bit, here be the story in 3nglishstische.

Capoeira master in Treptow attacked by two men. He strikes them to the ground. Police admit to an atmosphere hostile to foreigners
by ANTJE long lendorff

Sometimes stories, which the life writes, are better than a film script. Sunday night to early Monday morning, the Brazilian Leo Gonçalves in Treptow was attacked by two men, who were according to him gedrillte foreigner hunters. What the two did not know: Gonçalves is a master of the Brazilian combat dance Capoeira. He only tried to run away. When the men pursued it however, he left legs and arms by air (this is a brazilian expression) and knocked one, then the other to ground, says Gonçalves. With the head it pushed a Tunichtgut thereby the nose in the face (I can't make much since out of this sentence except maybe he used a head butte) "They came inorder to kill me, but they didn't know capoeira or they didn't know that he knew capoeira", determined the master.

The police do not want to exclude a motive of xenophobia . In the meantime the state is investigating the situation. So far however traces of the assailants are gone.

Actually, Leo Gonçalves wanted only to drive from the birthday party of a friend's home. His wife Liane K. followed, in order to get to the car. She had hardly stepped from the door, when the assailants approached from two sides, tells Gonçalves. "They did not want to rob me. They wanted to kill me, " believes the professional combat dancer.

He ran into a dead end, but turned back, in order to arrive at the more busy Elsenstrasse. There he had to attack. After a further Rangelei he fled to the Puschkinallee. Before the UFA palace at the Treptower park he yelled "neo-Nazis, neo-Nazis!". Neither taxidrivers nor cinema goers, would have taken notice of him. "they looked only to the side or on the ground."

Liane K. confirms Gonçalves' descriptions, as far as she was in the proximity. "I heard calls and saw Leo running down the road." She wanted to get to the car quickly, in order to come it to assistance. More easily said than done: It took five minutes in order to maneuver the large car from the parking sot. There Gonçalves already ran away.

Also the friends of the birthday celebration heard shouting on the road. "we looked from the window and saw someone on the on the ground", described another Brazilian at the event. Too third they descended and two men on the road standing would have seen. a "goal, a goal!", has the other one to course-call. From fear of a shooting they held back. Only later they found with Liane K. the Capoeira master vorm ? to cinema.

The hero of this story would not deliver a bad leading role in a Actionfilm. He has played capoeira since he was 8 years old. He is a sack of muscle on two legs and moves like a beast through the large city. Slowly, but dangerously. Therefore also the name of the dark Rasta Mann: In Brazil his master baptized him, the lion.

Capoeira is not a violent combat sport, but a traditional combat dance. It was developed in the 16th century by african slaves. Since their masters forbade them to fight the slaves combined the combat exercises with music and dance-like movements. Only in the 30's-years 20. Century the combat art in Brazil was officially recognized.

For Gonçalves the dance is not only sport, but a philosophy. Capoeira gave he much self-assurance and the strength for overcoming problems. "I came to Germany to educate about capoeira", said the Mestre with a calm, deep voice. Together with the German Liane K. he created the association "Capitães de Areia" in Berlin and now already has taught for over ten years in Europe. The conclusion of this Hollywood movie: Gonçalves and Liane K. teach also regularly free of charge in orphanages, in order to give the young people the strength of Capoeira. Gonçalves has often participated in anti-racism activities with martial art shows, however has never become vicitim - until Sunday night.

taz Berlin locally No. 6954 of 15.1.2003, page 21, 155 lines (TA-e.g.-arranged), ANTJE long lendorff

[Jenfucius]

does it surprise anyone that brazilians are good at kicking people?

[cafezinho]

I never thought about it.

[PizDoff]

Good thing he didn't do the BJJ! :D

[cafezinho]

This just in: Brazilian BJJ instructor fends off two neo-nazis with a double flying armbar!

[cafezinho]

That would totally own

[Otaku Waffle]

Lebenspartnerin = lifepartner (f.), so yes, his girlfriend
Raubtier = predator

I also read the original article and noticed that "coagulated" should be "ran". These might be homonyms in German, I know the words are very close in Dutch.

And yes, he gave a headbutt to one of the assailants (Tunichtgut = Does no good = Evildoer:D ).

I'm neither a German nor an English native speaker but I hope this helps.

And finally: always nice to hear about Neo-nazis getting their butts kicked.

[Beatdown Richie]

The translator messed up with "coagulated". The two words are similar - rennen : to run, gerinnen: to coagulate.
The sentences are:
"He almost ran into a dead end, but then turned back..."
and
"By then Gonçalves had already run away."

The "respected lebensjahr" is another fuckup and should be "8th year of his life".
The "i-Tuepfelchen" is "the dot on the i", the detail that makes the picture perfect.
"Kampfkunstshows" are martial arts shows.
The "background hostile to foreigners" refers to the crime itself, not the area in general, although that might be appropriate too.
And translating machines unversally suck.

The story itself is great, too bad they didn't catch the bastards.

[cafezinho]

Beautiful. That helps alot. I'll make the changes in the story now.