The last time a leftist party took power in Brazil, in 2016, a right-wing adviser outside Congress made a name for himself: Jair Bolsonaro.
Among presidential hopefuls, he voted in single digits, known for positions like exalted torturers. Experts scoff at the idea that he might one day win. But I’m checking how stable Brazil is move right and I started interviewing him.
Now, an excerpt from that 76-minute videotaped encounter – Mr Bolsonaro’s talk about how he would eat a native in the Amazon rainforest – has returned as an explosive issue in the past. presidential election on Sunday.
“I wanted to see the Indians cooked,” said Mr. Bolsonaro, describing a ritual cannibal that is believed to be in a remote part of the Amazon. “I’ll eat an Indian dish, no problem.”
Supporters of Mr Bolsonaro’s opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a former leftist president, have begun to comment, drawing comparison with real (Jeffrey Dahmer) and fictional (Hannibal Lecter) cannibals.
Remembering Mr. Bolsonaro’s craving for human flesh proliferate. Mention Bolso-Lecter, BolsoDahmer and yes, CanibalsonaroSocial media feeds abound.
Cannibalism has become such a big topic of conversation that it reflects the campaign going downhill in its final days, engulfed by accusations of sexual abuse. freedom block, Worshiping the Devil and pedophile. For his part, Mr. da Silva has had to publicly refute the claims that he created a pact with Satan.
In duration of the wide-ranging interview With Mr Bolsonaro, it’s hard to tell whether his cannibalism comment is some kind of thread or if he’s trying to provoke a reaction. He made a careless comment. The Yanomami, who live in the Amazon region Mr. Bolsonaro mentioned, say they have no tradition of cannibalism.
Bolsonaro, who has been president since 2019, is seen as a reflection of his character and policies. In addition to teaching a taboo, Mr. Bolsonaro has pushed for the opening of Indigenous lands to mining, cutting environmental protections and overseeing an increase in deforestation in the Amazon, the region. Largest rainforest in the world.
As the presidential race tightens, Mr Bolsonaro’s campaign has sought to ban Mr da Silva’s party from linking him to cannibalism. Lawyers for the Brazilian president argued that Mr Bolsonaro was showing “respect” to the indigenous culture by saying he would eat an indigenous person.
On the side of Mr. Bolsonaro, the Brazilian electoral court command the removal of political ads linking the president to cannibalism.
The court also granted He got plenty of opportunities in television airtime to be devoted to campaigning before the stream on Sunday to defend himself against his ties to cannibalism. Despite facing criticism from Indigenous leaders who called cannibalism offensive, the Bolsonaro campaign remained controversial in its broadcasts. counter that their opponents themselves did not respect certain Indigenous traditions.
In a recent television interview, Mr. Bolsonaro also Debate that he was unjustly labeled a cannibal because of “a video from 30 years ago”.
It’s hard to imagine all of this happening six years ago when I met Mr Bolsonaro and his son, Flávio, who filmed the interview, which appeared shortly afterwards on Mr Bolsonaro’s social media sites.
It’s still there largely ignored – until this month.
