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Brazilian President Bolsonaro He apologized on Tuesday after visiting a group of teens in which he suggested sex workers had been accused of “pedophilia” by opponents.
The far-right president fights for re-election in the Oct. 30 runoff against veteran leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, his remarks on Venezuelan underage girls Sparking a storm, he called the girls “really beautiful”.
Bolsonaro said in a video posted online: “I apologise if I took my words out of context with malicious intent, was somehow misunderstood or caused discomfort to our Venezuelan sisters.”
“My commitment has always been to better welcome and assist all dictators fleeing anywhere in the world,” he added, next to his wife and Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido’s representative in Brazil.
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Bolsonaro recognized Guaido as Venezuela’s legitimate leader, not socialist President Nicolas Maduro.
The controversy erupted Friday when Bolsonaro spoke in a YouTube interview about visiting the home of “three or four very beautiful 14 or 15-year-olds” in a poor neighborhood in Brasilia last year.
“There was a vibe between us. I turned around. ‘Can I come in your house?’ I went in. There were 15 or 20 girls (in the house), all 14-, 15-year-old Venezuelans, Get ready on Saturday. Why? To make a living,” he said.
The anecdote appears to be one of Bolsonaro’s frequent warnings that if Brazil elects Lula, Brazil will suffer the same fate as crisis-ridden Venezuela.
But Bolsonaro found himself on the defensive after Lula allies slammed the comments as “degenerate” and the hashtag #Bolsonaropedofilo (Bolsonaro pedophile) went viral.
On Sunday, his campaign successfully petitioned election authorities to ban attack ads based on excerpts from the interview.
But Bolsonaro said the day before was “the scariest day of my life”.
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