Bolsonaro was left without tribute to New York | Ant …

President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, has renounced to attend the gala dinner in New York where he would be named a character of the year. In the statement issued by his spokesman, Bolsonaro thanked the tribute, while stating that after consulting various sectors of the government, he had decided not to attend the event as he was thinking that this included an "ideologisation" component. In addition, spokesman Otavio do Rego Barros added that Bolsonaro's decision had been influenced by the criticism of New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and pressure from interest groups.

"Given the resistance and deliberate attacks of the Mayor of New York and the pressure of groups and interests on the institutions that organize, sponsor and organize the event each year, the ideology of the activity has been characterized, "he explained. Do Rego The agenda of Miami, which had not yet been organized, was also canceled.

The gala was scheduled to take place May 14 at the Natural History Museum of the United States, but the institution announced in April that she could not receive the event arguing that this It was not "the ideal place" for such a tribute. The event, organized by the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce, was then confirmed at the Marquis Marriott Hotel in Times Square. However, hundreds of protesters, mainly environmentalists and the LGBT movement, protested several times in front of the building that was to host the president.

But the cancellation strategy of the event was not exhausted only by the demonstrations in front of the hotel, but also launched the request "#AnnonceBolsonaro". The initiative promoted by New York State Senator Brad Hoylman has already garnered more than 53,000 signatures. "By hosting this event, Marriott is offering Bolsonaro a platform for its outrageous behavior," says the petition. "We will continue to protest in front of the hotel every day to be canceled," said Natalia de Campos, of the Committee for the Defense of Brazilian Democracy in New York and one of the organizers of the daily protests.

Consulted on the crossroads of opinions regarding the presence of Bolsonaro, Marriott spokesman Jeff Flaherty said the hotel chain was created on the basis of the ideals of respect, diversity and diversity. 39; inclusion. "Welcoming everyone and being inclusive means including groups that may or may not share the values ​​of our society, but allowing a group to use our facilities does not mean that we support their positions," he explained. .

Brazilian and American media personalities also joined the social media critic, including the mayor of New York, who described Bolsonaro as a very dangerous human being. "Bolsonaro is dangerous not only because of its racism and homophobia, but also because it is unfortunately the most powerful power of influence over the future of the Amazon," he said. declared De Blasio in an interview with a local radio station.

In the midst of criticism and before the withdrawal of Bolsonaro, several sponsors such as the American airline Delta, the British newspaper Financial Times and the consulting firm Bain & Company withdrew their sponsorship of the event. But after this reversal, the State Bank of Brazil paid $ 12,500 for a table of ten places. According to local press, it is the first time that the entity reserves so many seats at this gala. Each year, the camera chooses two personalities, one Brazilian and the other American, and awards them at their gala dinner for over a thousand people, with tickets at an individual price $ 30,000 already exhausted.

Since taking office, Bolsonaro has weakened indigenous protection organizations and transferred its responsibilities to the Ministry of Agriculture, now headed by a former agribusiness executive at Congress. Elected with over 55% of the vote and after a strong speech against corruption, Bolsonaro said that he would prefer that a son die to be homobadual and that Afro-Brazilians "do not even serve to reproduce themselves ".