The German ambassador in Brasilia, Heiko Thoms, has shown his condemnation of the images showing supporters of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, arm in arm, making the Nazi salute during the protests that have shaken the country since last Sunday’s elections.
«The use of Nazi and fascist symbols by clearly far-right ‘protesters’ is deeply shocking. Apology of Nazism is a crime,» Thoms said on his official profile on the social network Twitter.
The top representative of German diplomacy in Brazil has stressed that «this is not about freedom of expression,» but an «attack on democracy and the rule of law in Brazil.» «This gesture despises the memory of the victims of Nazism and the horrors caused,» he added.
Thus, although Thoms has not explicitly mentioned the protests in favor of Bolsonaro, it is clear that his criticism comes after the dissemination of images in which a group of supporters of the still Brazilian president call for military intervention and perform Nazi salutes.
Lula won by a narrow margin over Bolsonaro in the second round of the Brazilian elections, held on Sunday. Since then, supporters of the current president have taken to the streets and have even blocked numerous highways throughout the country in protest.
Bolsonaro, for his part, came out on Tuesday to ask his followers to lift the blockades as they are a type of protest that does not fall within the constitutional margins by infringing on the free right of movement.
