Ex-Presidential Candidate Ciro Gomes to be Sued for Alleged Anti-Semitic Remarks

By Harold Emert

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Well known for his temperament and infamous outbursts which frequently land him in hot water, ex-Presidential candidate Ciro Gomes (Democratic Labor Party/PDT), is about to be sued for alleged anti-semitic remarks made in an interview with the HuffPost Brasil.

The São Paulo based Confederação Israelita do Brasil (Jewish Confederation of Brazil) is angered by remarks issued to the news site by the ex-Governor of Ceará and former Finance Minister: “President Bolsonaro tells special groups what they wish to hear.”

“In what concerns his friends, these Jewish community corrupts believe they are entitled to be corrupt simply because they are in the Jewish community. As far as I’m concerned, a corrupt is corrupt, a thief is a thief and it doesn’t matter whether he is a Kurd or Cearense (native of Ciro’s state, Ceará).”

“He tells them (the Jewish community) that he is going to relocate the Brazilian Embassy to Jerusalem and then he says he won’t go through with it.” (Bolsonaro now proposes setting up a Brazilian Trade Office in Jerusalem).

“If the ex-Governor doesn’t wish to be seen as a politician spouting hate and prejudice, then he should retract his unfortunate remarks against Jewish Brazilians,” reads an official note by the Confederation.

During the Presidential race, Ciro claimed Bolsonaro’s campaign was financed by “radical Zionism.”

Strongly backed by the Evangelical community (a religion that supports Israel), President Jair Messias Bolsonaro greeted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to Rio.

Bolsonaro prayed at the Wailing Wall during his recent visit to Israel and made controversial statements saying “the Holocaust should be pardoned but not forgotten.”