Monday November 1, 2021
In the footsteps of his predecessors
Bolsonaro visits the village instead of the climate conference
At the United Nations Climate Conference in Glasgow, heads of state and government discuss the future of the planet. Brazilian President Bolsonaro will not arrive. Instead, the 66-year-old is walking the path of his ancestors in northern Italy. As is often the case, he throws all the rules of hygiene into the sea.
While heads of state and government discussed the climate crisis at the kick-off of COP26 in Glasgow, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro took advantage of the day to take a trip to a village in northern Italy. There he is now an honorary citizen. “I am happy and touched to be here,” the 66-year-old said after an ANSA report in Anguillara Veneta.
Bolsonaro’s ancestors once migrated to South America from somewhere near Padua. Video footage showed how the president was greeted by cheering people upon his arrival. He let himself – without a mask – take a short shower in the crowd.
But there were also protests against the controversial head of state: according to the authorities, about 200 demonstrators marched in front of the town hall of Anguilla. Therefore, according to Ansa Bolsonaro, the daily routine has changed and the town hall visit has been cancelled. And he wants a meeting on Tuesday with Matteo Salvini, the leader of the right-wing Lega.
Bolsonaro participated in the deliberations of the G-20 in Rome over the weekend. The right-wing head of state has decided not to travel to the United Nations climate conference in Glasgow. The Brazilian delegation to COP26 is headed by Environment Minister Joaquim Light.
Brazil is seen as a major player in the fight against climate change. In terms of area, its share in the Amazon, an important reservoir of climate-destroying carbon dioxide, is as large as Western Europe. Bolsonaro sees the region as an untapped economic potential. However, his government recently promised to take measures to preserve the Amazon: the illegal logging of the rainforest will end in 2027 or 2028.