After being criticized by Italian newspapers and TV networks for walking in the center of Rome amid a group of about 30 people gathered, many of them without masks, the president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, was wearing facial protection when he arrived at this meeting. Saturday (30) for the G20 summit.
Bolsonaro was received by Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who is the president of the G20 this year, and took off his mask to take the official photo. Inside the event site, the leaders did not use protection.
The tour on Friday (29) was organized by the Italian-Brazilian deputy Luis Roberto Lorenzato, who released images of Bolsonaro walking through tourist spots. Elected to the Italian Parliament in 2018 by the Liga, a radical right-wing party led by Matteo Salvini, he has been the articulator between the Brazilian president and figures from the Italian right.
In the videos that were reproduced by Italian television news, Bolsonaro does not follow the health recommendations in force in Italy: the use of masks is indicated for open environments where it is not possible to maintain physical distance — in the case of the crowding caused by the president.
Journalists also mocked the fact that, at the delicatessen he visited, Bolsonaro refused a coffee and preferred a Coca-Cola. “He will go down in history as the only Brazilian president who came to Rome and refused a cup of coffee, so this product represents a connection between the two countries,” said the TV news anchor at Rai, this Saturday morning.
Since arriving, Bolsonaro has avoided the press. After disembarking, he did not answer a question about his expectations regarding the G20 and, on Friday night, the Presidency’s Secretariat for Communication said it was not possible to respond to the request that the president speak about his meeting with Italian president Sergio Mattarella.
After the ceremonial meeting, the president returned to the embassy, where he is staying, and only invited reporters from CNN and Record for a conversation. According to advisors to the Presidency, the two had dinner with the entourage.
This Saturday, according to the Presidency’s Secretariat for Communication, there was, until 1 pm (local time), no forecast for the president to speak about the planned meetings: at 4 pm, he meets with the secretary general of the OECD, group of countries in which Brazil is seeking to join.
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