Was a British Journalist the Latest Victim of Bolsonaro’s War on the Amazon?

 

 

"The disappearance of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira, and the Brazilian government’s inadequate response, are part and parcel of President Jair Bolsonaro’s unwillingness to confront the catastrophic environmental damage underway in the Amazon. And that is extremely concerning.

And since Mr. Bolsonaro came to power, he has relied on nationalist rhetoric to excuse the exploitation of the rainforest. He has scaled back environmental protections, weakened the territorial claims of the Indigenous and undermined environmental groups. By doing this, he has essentially given a greenlight to land grabbers, who have torched homes and opened fire on Indigenous people in order to stake illegal claims. Support for this destruction is also underway in the National Congress, where the president has pushed for laws to allow mining in Indigenous territory. It is not in Mr. Bolsonaro’s interest or his character to do anything for defenders of the rain forest.

Those who challenge Mr. Bolsonaro’s assertions are treated as if they are threatening sovereign territory. In 2019, when Dom asked Mr. Bolsonaro about deforestation and other environmental concerns at a news conference, he replied: “The Amazon is ours, not yours.”"

read article by Eliane Brum

Was a British Journalist the Latest Victim of Bolsonaro’s War on the Amazon? – Politpost