Jair Bolsonaro has made many racist and offensive remarks about Indigenous peoples in Brazil, over a protracted time frame. It is a choice.
A former military captain, he has made many racist and offensive remarks about Indigenous peoples in Brazil, over a protracted time frame. It is a choice.
Racist remarks
“Com toda a certeza, o índio mudou, tá evoluindo. Cada vez mais o índio é um ser humano igual a nós.”
“The indians are evolving, increasingly they’re human being like us”
“Os índios não falam nossa língua, não têm dinheiro, não têm cultura. São povos nativos. Como eles conseguem ter 13 do território nacional”
“The Indians don’t communicate our language, they don’t have cash, they don’t have tradition. They’re native peoples. How did they handle to get 13% of the nationwide territory”
On wiping out the “Indians”
“Pena que a cavalaria brasileira não tenha sido tão eficiente quanto a americana, que exterminou os índios”
“It’s a disgrace that the Brazilian cavalry hasn’t been as environment friendly because the People, who exterminated the Indians.”
Correio Braziliense newspaper, April 12, 1998
“Não tem terra indígena onde não têm minerais. Ouro, estanho e magnésio estão nessas terras, especialmente na Amazônia, a área mais rica do mundo. Não entro nessa balela de defender terra pra índio”
“There isn’t any Indigenous territory the place there aren’t minerals. Gold, tin and magnesium are in these lands, particularly within the Amazon, the richest space on the earth. I’m not moving into this nonsense of defending land for Indians”
Campo Grande Information, April 22, 2015
“[Indigenous reserves] are an impediment to agri-business. You’ll be able to’t cut back Indigenous land by even a sq. meter in Brazil”
Campo Grande Information, April 22, 2015
“Eu já briguei com o Jarbas Passarinho aqui dentro. Briguei em um crime de lesa-Pátria que ele cometeu ao demarcar a reserva Ianomâmi. Criminoso.”
“I fought with Jarbas Passarinho [former minister of Justice] proper right here. I fought with him concerning the excessive treason he dedicated in demarcating the Yanomami reserve. Felony.”
Interview with Marcelo Godoy, Estado de São Paulo, April 2, 2017
“Not a centimeter can be demarcated both as an Indigenous reserve or as a quilombola [territory for descendents of African slave communities].”
Hebrew Membership, Rio de Janeiro April 3, 2017
“You’ll be able to make sure that if I get there [elected President of Brazil] there can be no cash for NGOs. If it’s as much as me, each citizen could have a firearm in the home. There won’t be a centimeter demarcated for Indigenous reservations or quilombolas.”
Estadão, April 3, 2017
“If I change into President there won’t be a centimeter extra of Indigenous land.”
Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, February 8, 2018
He later corrected himself, and mentioned he meant “not one millimeter” on this interview with Globo Information, August 3, 2018 (at 01:23:30)
“This unilateral coverage of demarcating Indigenous land by the Govt will stop to exist. Any reserve that I can cut back in measurement, I’ll accomplish that. It will likely be a really massive combat that we’re going to have with the UN”
Video by Correio do Estado, June 10, 2016
On abolishing current Indigenous territories
“In 2019 we’re going to tear up Raposa Serra do Sol [Indigenous Territory in Roraima, northern Brazil]. We’re going to present all of the ranchers weapons”
In Congress, posted on January 21, 2016
On forcibly integrating Indigenous folks
“Vamos integrá-los à sociedade. Como o Exército faz um trabalho maravilhoso tocante a isso, incorporando índios, tá certo, às Forças Armadas”
“We’re going to combine them into society. Similar to the military which did a fantastic job of this, incorporating the Indians into the armed forces.”
On dismantling FUNAI (Brazil’s division for Indigenous affairs)
“Se eleito eu vou dar uma foiçada na FUNAI, mas uma foiçada no pescoço. Não tem outro caminho. Não serve mais.”
“If I’m elected, I’ll serve a blow to FUNAI; a blow to the neck. There’s no different means. It’s not helpful anymore”
