- Title: Brazilians cheer and jeer Bolsonaro amid Macron controversy, G7 Amazon aid
- Date: 26th August 2019
- Summary: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL (AUGUST 26, 2019) (REUTERS) TORN BRAZIL FLAG WAVING BEACH AREA CARS ON CITY STREET OPERA HOUSE NEWSPAPER STAND
- Embargoed: 9th September 2019 21:20
- Keywords: G7 France Sao Paulo Brazil aid President Emmanuel Macro Brigitte Macron Rio de Janeiro fires environment wife Amazon
- Location: RIO DE JANEIRO + SAO PAULO + RONDONIA, BRAZIL
- City: RIO DE JANEIRO + SAO PAULO + RONDONIA, BRAZIL
- Country: Brazil
- Topics: Disaster/Accidents,Wildfires/Forest Fires
- Reuters ID: LVA001ATUWG93
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Brazilians cheered and jeered the conduct of their President Jair Bolsonaro on Monday (August 26), after the country's leader denounced French President Emmanuel Macron's plan for an international alliance to protect the Amazon and made comments on Facebook that mocked Macron's wife.
The leaders have been feuding in recent weeks, with Macron blaming Bolsonaro for fires in the Amazon and accusing him of lying about climate change policy. Bolsonaro responded on Sunday (August 26) to a Facebook post that compared the looks of his wife Michelle, 37, with Macron's 66-year-old wife Brigitte.
"Do not humiliate the man hahahah," Bolsonaro wrote, in a comment widely criticised as sexist.
Asked about the incident at a news conference in Biarritz where G7 leaders are gathered for a summit, Macron said the comments were "extremely disrespectful" to his wife. "It's sad, it's sad first of all for him and for Brazilians," Macron said. "Brazilian women are probably feeling ashamed of their president."
But Bolsonaro supporters have stood behind their president, arguing that Brazil has sovereignty over the Amazon and its natural resources.
Since taking office in January, Bolsonaro has railed against the enforcement of environmental regulations in Brazil and announced intentions to develop the Amazon region, where deforestation of the world's largest rainforest by loggers, ranchers and speculators has surged this year.
Wildfires raging in the Amazon rainforest have hit a record number this year, with more than 70,000 fires detected so far by Brazil's space research centre INPE.
(Production: Douglas Engle, Daniel Vorley, Leandra Camera, Patrick Alwine, Paul Vieira) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
