DiCaprio Rebuts Bolsonaro, Denies Support to NGOs “Although They Deserve It”

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Actor Leonardo DiCaprio denied that he donated to the NGOs accused by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro as the cause of the fire in the Amazon, he told Reuters and Associated Press in a statement. “Although they certainly deserve support,” he said, he does not finance the organizations “that are currently under attack”.

The actor took the opportunity to praise the actions of civil society in relation to the record-breaking forest fires in 2019 and said he was proud to be part of groups that seek to protect the Amazon. “The future of these irreplaceable ecosystems is at stake and I am proud to be part of the groups that protect them,” he said.

Last Thursday, November 28th, the Brazilian President accused DiCaprio of having financed NGOs that, he said, set fire to the Amazon. “What about Leonardo DiCaprio? Embarrassment of the year. What is easier? Take a picture, film it, sell it. Leonardo donated US$500,000 (R$2 million) to this NGO. Leonardo DiCaprio, hey, you’re contributing to the burning of the Amazon,” said Bolsonaro.

The case cited by the president, which sent four volunteer firefighters to prison for having set the fires to the forest in Alter do Chão, Pará State, had the investigating detective replaced by the State governor and the firefighters released on Thursday, November 28th.

According to the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPF) in Santarém, the Federal Police were already investigating the causes of the fires in Alter do Chão and had not found evidence that civil society entities could be associated with the fact. In a note, they state that they are ‘grileiros’ (“land-grabbers”), in fact, that they have been investigated as responsible for the fire.

“Because it is one of the most famous resorts in the country, the region is the object of greed of the tourism and real estate industries and is under pressure from invaders of public lands,” wrote the MPF.

Source: Carta Capital