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(CNN) - The president of Brazil described Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg as a “brat” after he condemned violence against indigenous people who were killed in the Amazon.
“Greta has said that the Indians died because they were defending the Amazon. It is surprising that the press gives space to this type of pirralha, ”Jair Bolsonaro told reporters in Brasilia.
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Pirralha is a derogatory Portuguese word that means "brat."
Bolsonaro's comments come after Thunberg tweeted a video on Sunday and wrote: “Indigenous peoples are literally being killed for trying to protect the forest from illegal deforestation. And again. It is shameful that the world remains silent about this. ”
Indigenous people are literally being murdered for trying to protect the forrest from illegal deforestation. Over and over again. It is shameful that the world remains silent about this. https://t.co/u1eLE8t0K4
- Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) December 8, 2019
His tweet referred to the death of two indigenous men from the Guajajara tribe who were shot dead on Saturday, according to Reuters.
The Guajarara tribe, which works to protect the rainforest, has been threatened by loggers who, according to experts, have taken advantage of reduced controls and less supervision to take control of forest lands.
The 16-year-old is currently in Madrid for the COP25 summit, which could make or break the world's climate commitments. About 25,000 people from 200 countries were expected to attend.
Greta Thunberg