Brazil’s ambassador summoned to Chile’s Foreign Ministry after Bolsonaro’s ‘fake news’ about Boric

Chile’s diplomacy summoned the Brazilian ambassador to Santiago on Monday after the “fake news” spread by Jáich Bolsonaro against his counterpart Gabriel Boric, claiming that the latter had set fire to the “subway” of Santiago, announced Monday. Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Mr Boric, a former student leader who was elected in November 2021 as Chile’s president at the age of 35, had been a leading figure in the anti-government protests that rocked Chile in 2019, with a central demand for more social justice.

The social upheaval, fueled by rising subway fares during peak hours, was youth-focused, but it was marred by repeated incidents of violence. Metro stations in the capital had been set on fire.

Last Sunday night, during the first televised debate ahead of the October 2 presidential election in Brazil, far-right President Bolsonaro claimed that Gabriel Boric was involved in those fires.

Mr Bolsonaro was up against his main rival Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, the poll favourite: Lula, he said, “supported the president of Chile, the one who had set fire to the subway, and look where Chile is going”. He also referred to Lula’s support for left-wing governments recently elected in Latin American states, such as that of Gustavo Petros, who took office this month in Colombia.

“We take these statements very seriously. It is clear that they are completely false and we regret that bilateral relations are being exploited and polarized for pre-election reasons through misinformation and fake news,” said Chilean Foreign Minister Antonia Urechola.

The head of Chile’s diplomacy added that an official protest will be delivered to the Brazilian ambassador.

SOURCE: AMPE