The Brazilian president, who provoked DiCaprio’s provocation on social networks, takes revenge

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro responded, sarcastically, to Leonardo DiCaprio on social media, after the American actor asked young Brazilians to register to vote and vote in the presidential election for the Amazon.

“Thank you for your support, Leo! It is very important that all Brazilians vote in the upcoming elections. Our people will decide whether they want to preserve our sovereignty over the Amazon or be ruled by thieves who serve foreign interests,” the president wrote on his Twitter account.

The right-wing leader also took the opportunity to remind the Best Actor Oscar for The Revenant that a photo he posted in 2019 denouncing the devastating fires that ravaged the Amazon was actually a photo several years ago.

Bolsonaro, who advocates the exploitation of mineral resources in the Amazon, including indigenous reserves, responded to DiCaprio’s call for young Brazilians to register and vote in the presidential elections next October, of which former President Lula da Silva was the preferred candidate according to opinion polls.

The American actor has joined a social media campaign already shared by other international celebrities, such as Brazilian singer Anita, which seeks to rally young people to support Lula’s candidacy.

Brazil is home to the Amazon and other ecosystems important to climate change. “What happens out there affects all of us, and a youth vote is essential to promoting change for a healthy planet,” DiCaprio said.

This is not the first dispute between Bolsonaro and DiCaprio over the Amazon. In 2019, as the planet’s largest rainforest suffered one of the worst fires in years, the head of state accused DiCaprio of funding NGOs and environmental activists, which he said were the origin of the fires.

The representative dismissed the accusations and said he was “proud to support the groups that protect” the Amazon, whose total area is about 60% of Brazilian territory.

In the first quarter of this year, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon reached a new record, with 941 square kilometers of forest destroyed, according to official figures.

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