[ad_1]
SÃO PAULO, Brazil – Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right leader in Brazil's presidential race, is famous for his inflammatory remarks, but on Tuesday he rejected the overwhelming support of David Duke, the former grand magician of the Ku Klux Klan.
"I refuse any form of support from supremacist groups," Bolsonaro said. says in an English tweet. In another tweetIn Portuguese, he said: "Exploiting this to try to influence an election in Brazil is a huge stupidity! He does not know the Brazilian people, who are half-breeds. "
Duke, who also supported Donald Trump in the 2016 US election, said Bolsonaro on his radio show a week ago.
"It looks like us," Duke said in comments picked up by BBC News Brasil and widely aired on Brazilian social media.
"It looks like any white in America, be it Portugal, Spain, Germany, France or the UK," said Duke. "And he talks about the demographic disaster in Brazil and the massive crime associated with it. For example, black neighborhoods and so on in Rio de Janeiro. "
During the program, Duke said that "the fundamentally pro-European nationalist movements are definitely sweeping the world," and he described the rise of Bolsonaro in this trend.
For many years, Mr. Bolsonaro, former captain of the army, was a marginal figure in Congress, better known for his defense of the military dictatorship and for his offensive remarks about women, blacks and homosexuals. Earlier this year, he was investigated for incitement to hatred and discrimination.
In an often quoted remark, he spoke scornfully of the quilombolas, traditional Afro-Brazilian communities, claiming that the inhabitants "did nothing". He added, "I think they can not even procreate anymore."
But as a corruption scandal invaded the main parties of the country, sending powerful leaders to prison, Bolsonaro's votes allowed him to reinvent himself as an anti-establishment figure who would attack the system and the the rise of crime.
His critics accuse him of racism and misogyny and tens of thousands of women organized protest marches with the slogan # EleNão – or #NotHim. But Bolsonaro emerged from the first round of voting with a strong lead, thanks in part to last minute support from the evangelical lobby and powerful agribusiness groups.
His supporters say that it may not be politically correct, but he is an honest shooter who defends family values and traditional Christian education.
In 2016, Mr Trump caused an uproar when he initially refused to disavow Mr Duke after declaring on his radio show that "voting against Donald Trump at this point is really a betrayal of your legacy."
"Honestly, I do not know David Duke," Trump said in an interview for CNN. "I do not think I've ever met him. I'm pretty sure I did not meet him and that I do not know anything about him. "
A few days later, he said he disavowed Mr. Duke and added, "I mean, no one has done as much for equality as me. Take a look at Palm Beach, Florida. I've built the Mar-a-Lago club, totally open to everyone. "
[ad_2]Source link
