RIO DE JANEIRO — President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil decided on Friday to cancel a trip to New York this month following weeks of controversy over the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce’s decision to honor the far-right leader at its gala this year. The chamber has been scrambling to keep the event on track since it announced last month that Mr. Bolsonaro had been selected to receive its person of the year award. The honor set off outrage among environmental groups, gay activists and New York politicians, including Mayor Bill de Blasio, who called Mr. Bolsonaro “a dangerous man” whose “overt racism, homophobia and destructive decisions will have a devastating impact on the future of our planet.”The pushback began when the American Museum of Natural History, which had agreed to host the event before the honoree had been announced, reacted with dismay to Mr. Bolsonaro’s selection.

Source: New York Times May 04, 2019 00:45 UTC