Bolsonaro cancels planned trip to USA

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro has cancelled a planned trip to the United States after protests from gay rights and environmental campaigners.

“Bolsonaro was due to attend a ceremony in his honour in New York later in May organised by the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce,” reports the BBC. Several venues in the city have decided not to host the event. His spokesman blamed New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and the “pressure of interest groups”.

The Guardian reports that the cancellation is a humiliating climbdown for Bolsonaro who idolises the United States and was feted by Donald Trump during a March visit to Washington. Analysts said it is a sign of the international reprobation his extremist views and anti-environment positions are beginning to spark around the world.

“It is a very big embarrassment,” said Paulo Baía, a professor of political science at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

Via BBC / The Guardian