Bolsonaro booed on plane, tells critics to 'take a donkey'
They say Brazil is polarised under far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, but the divide was literal Friday, when he boarded a commercial plane to greet supporters in leading -- as opponents booed him near the top of their lungs from the back.
Visiting the southeastern condition of Espirito Santo to inaugurate a open public works project, Bolsonaro took a moment at the airport terminal to briefly get into a departing plane and declare hello.
It was all smiles in the roomier, more-expensive front of the plane, seeing as seen in a good video he posted on Twitter of himself snapping selfies with travellers and crew.
But videos from the trunk of coach posted in social media show a good riotous scene as travellers waved the middle finger and hurled protest slogans in the president, including "Get away, Bolsonaro!" and "Genocidal maniac!"
That is a reference to the president's broadly questioned handling of Covid-19, which includes claimed a lot more than 480,000 lives in Brazil, second only to the United States.
Giving an answer to the boos, Bolsonaro taken away his nose and mouth mask to joke, "Those people declaring 'Get out, Bolsonaro' ought to be traveling by donkey."
Brazilian media reports said he previously also taken out his mask on the airport, on violation of regulations on destination to contain the pandemic.
The president's office didn't immediately react to a obtain comment.
Bolsonaro offers frequently criticized encounter masks, lockdowns and vaccines to fight the pandemic, instead touting the medication chloroquine despite studies showing it is ineffective against Covid-19.
The plane episode converted into a high trending topic on Twitter in Brazil, beneath the tag "ForaBolsonaro" (Get out, Bolsonaro).
The president's disapproval rating has risen sharply together with the death toll from Covid-19, and opponents are increasingly ready to take to the streets in protest regardless of the pandemic.
They have needed new demonstrations Sunday, on the opening day of the Copa America, the South American football championships.
Bolsonaro controversially defied warnings from epidemiologists to bring the tournament to Brazil when original hosts Argentina and Colombia fell through because of surging Covid-19 caseloads and social unrest. -- AFP
