“I overreacted” Says Bolsonaro After Having Called Protesters “Useful Idiots”

By Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – President Jair Bolsonaro said on Sunday that he overreacted when he called protesters who took to the streets on May 15th against cuts in funding for education “useful idiots.”

At the time, Bolsonaro also said that students are “manipulated” by a minority that controls federal universities. To the president, the correct term would be “useful innocents.”

“I overreacted, I agree, I overreacted. The right term is useful innocents,” Bolsonaro said in an interview with Brazilian media giant Record in Brasília.

Bolsonaro again claimed that the students “were used by teachers”:

“We know that young people have great weight in these demonstrations. Now I am sorry, but those teachers used them. The minority is not committed to turning these youths into good professionals, good employees or good bosses,” he said.