Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro landed in soup for allegedly making sexist and derogatory remarks about France’s first lady Brigitte Macron.
Embarrassed by their country’s premier, Brazilians have flocked over to social media to apologise on his behalf.
France and Brazil have been tussling over an international aid package meant to combat the devastating forest fire in the Amazon. Relationship between the two countries became pricklier when Bolsonaro replied to a supporter’s Facebook comment that criticised Emmanuel Macron’s wife.
A supporter posted a photo of Brigitte Macron, 66, and Michelle Bolsonaro who is 37 with a comment that read “now do you understand why Macron is persecuting Bolsonaro?”
To which, Bolsonaro replied: “Do not humiliate the guy, ha ha.”
French President Macron was one of the first to condemn the remark by saying that he felt sad, “first for him and for the Brazillians.”
Macron argued that Brazilian women “are doubtless ashamed to read that about their president”. He also hoped that the South American nation would soon elect a president who could behave as per the standards required to hold the esteemed position.
“I’m shamed to be a Brazilian in this moment! Most of us are really sorry to have him as a president!” one Brazilian social media user wrote on Twitter.
Even author Paulo Coelho posted a video in French on Twitter apologising for Bolsonaro.
“This is sad video to apologise to my French friends for the crisis, the hysteria of Bolsonaro towards France, the French president and the French first lady,” he said.
Au peuple français pic.twitter.com/MWGG1koMbx
— Paulo Coelho (@paulocoelho) August 26, 2019
https://twitter.com/starshumjr/status/1166377363929804800
https://twitter.com/fabriciokatycat/status/1166612423463378945
#DesculpaBrigitte
As a Brasilian woman, I feel absolutely ashamed of @jairbolsonaro You should apologize! @jairbolsonaro— Carla Bento (@CarlaBentooo) August 28, 2019
PNN
