[ad_1]
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will speak at a ceremony on April 30 at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia. (Adriano Machado / Reuters)
It started with the place.
The American Museum of Natural History in New York has agreed to hold a gala organized by the US-Brazil Chamber of Commerce on May 14th.
Then, we learned who the room had planned to name his personality of the year during the event: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a far right populist who asked controversial economic development in the Amazon and once said that he would prefer that his son be dead rather than gay.
Suddenly, the museum was at the center of an international controversy, eager to stand out from the honoree of the event.
April 11, the museum tweeted that the event had been booked "before the honoree was secured".
"We are deeply concerned and are exploring our options," the tweet said. Four days later, the museum announced that the gala would no longer take place there, stating that the chamber and museum had agreed that it was "not the optimal location".
[LGBT rights threatened in Brazil under new far-right president]
A few weeks after the museum withdrew from the event, Bolsonaro announced that it would no longer come to New York.
A spokesman for the presidency said on Friday that Bolsonaro had canceled the trip in the face of "resistance and deliberate attacks by the mayor of New York and pressure from interest groups on the institutions that organize, sponsor and welcome the city. Event each year ".
Last month, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted that Bolsonaro was "a dangerous man" and thanked the museum for canceling the event.
His "declared racism, homophobia and destructive decisions will have a devastating impact on the future of our planet," from Blasio wrote.
After the museum hesitated, the gala changed location, booking the Marriott Marquis in Midtown Manhattan. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, named the US winner of the same person of the year award, was also among the winners.
Despite the change of location, the controversy persisted. And last week, a number of renowned sponsors, including Delta Air Lines, the Financial Times and Bain & Co., withdrew from the event. On Friday, the Bolsonaro team announced it would cancel its intention to participate in the gala.
The mayor has certainly scored as a victory.
"Jair Bolsonaro has learned the hard way that New Yorkers do not hide the oppression," he tweeted Saturday. "We called his fanaticism. He escaped. Not surprised – bullies usually can not take a punch. "
The room did not immediately respond to a phone call, but his website indicated that the event would proceed as planned. Kathleen Duffy, a spokeswoman for New York Marriott Hotels, told The Post that the event was still scheduled for May 14th. As previously reported the Post, Marriott's general manager, Arne Sorenson, wrote in a blog this week: using our facilities in no way suggests that we endorse his views. "
"It simply means that we try to respect our ideals of openness and inclusiveness, understanding that we could place ourselves in an uncomfortable position," he wrote.
Bolsonaro, a former army captain, adopted a strongly nationalist platform and won the elections with about 55% of the vote in October. During his visit to Washington in March, President Trump said he was "honored" that the Bolsonaro campaign had made comparisons with his own. Bolsonaro said he and Trump "share a lot of values".
"I admire President Donald Trump," he said at the time. Then the two leaders exchanged gifts, each receiving a football shirt with their names on the back.
It is fair to say that Bolsonaro would probably not have been welcomed so warmly further down the east coast. "Good riddance," wrote Blasio on Twitter after the cancellation of his trip by the Brazilian ruler. "Your hatred is not welcome here."
Marina Lopes contributed to this report.
Read more:
Activists feared that the Brazilian Bolsonaro would accelerate deforestation in the Amazon. Now, they think this is happening already.
In Brazil, school shootings fuel familiar firearms debate
A mining disaster has covered a city with toxic sludge. Now, residents are sailing on uncultivated land.
[ad_2]
Source link