Leonardo DiCaprio has been forced to issue a response after the President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro accused him of funding the Amazon rainforest fires.
The south American country’s rainforests have been ablaze in recent months and without offering any evidence to back up his claim – because who needs proof in this post-truth world – Bolsonaro broke a new doozy for the tin foil hat brigade claiming actor and environmentalist DiCaprio was behind the blaze.
Bolsonaro told reporters in Brasilia on Friday, ‘This Leonardo DiCaprio is a cool guy, isn’t he? Giving money for the Amazon to be torched.’
The latest outburst comes just 24 hours after the Brazilian president made an unsubstantiated claim against DiCaprio in a Facebook live broadcast, The Guardian reports.
He said:
Leonardo DiCaprio, dammit, you’re collaborating with the burning of the Amazon.
IRL DiCaprio’s environmental organisation Earth Alliance has so far pledged $5 million towards protecting the Amazon after fires destroyed large parts of the rainforest in July and August.
The Oscar-winning activist has since been forced to respond to the unfounded allegations from the president.
In a statement posted to his Instagram page, he wrote:
At this time of crisis for the Amazon, I support the people of Brazil working to save their natural and cultural heritage. They are an amazing, moving and humbling example of the commitment and passion needed to save the environment.
The future of these irreplaceable ecosystems is at stake and I am proud to stand with the groups protecting them. While worthy of support, we did not fund the organizations targeted.
I remain committed to supporting the Brazilian indigenous communities, local governments, scientists, educators and general public who are working tirelessly to secure the Amazon for the future of all Brazilians.
He also responded to the wild claims in a statement provided to the Associated Press, saying his group had not funded any of the nonprofits named by investigators so far.
The statement read:
While worthy of support, we did not fund the organizations targeted.
The future of these irreplaceable ecosystems is at stake and I am proud to stand with the groups protecting them.
The WWF’s Brazil office also refuted the president’s baseless claims in a statement:
WWF Brazil rejects the attacks on its partners and the lies involving its name, including a series of lie-based social media attacks such as the purchase of photographs linked to a donation from the actor Leonardo DiCaprio.
Bolsonaro’s attack on DiCaprio was further met with ridicule and anger from opposition politicians and activists.
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A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.