Brazil’s anti-gay presidential front-runner stabbed during campaign rally
The Brazilian politician was stabbed during a campaign rally just weeks before the country's general election.
Brazil’s anti-gay presidential front-runner was stabbed during a campaign rally in Juiz de Fora Thursday (September 6).
Jair Bolsonaro was stabbed in the abdomen during the rally and lost more than two litres of blood. Police rushed him to a nearby hospital before transferring him to another in Sao Paulo. Though his situation was described as life-threatening, Bolsonaro is said to be recovering and in “excellent clinical condition”.
The politician’s son, Flavio, shared a photo of Bolsonaro in his hospital bed on Twitter where he will remain for a week.
Meanwhile, Brazilian police arrested Adélio Bispo de Oliveira, 40, over the attack, CNN reports.
Jair Bolsonaro, 63, is currently leading the polls after Brazil’s former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, referred to as Lula, was banned from running because he’s serving a 12-year jail term for corruption.
Bolsonaro has made numerous homophobic and racist comments and has been described as Brazil’s Donald Trump. During an interview with TIME magazine last month, Bolsonaro stood by a previous statement in which he claimed he would attack two men if he saw them kissing in the street.
Back in 2015, Bolsonaro said that blood transfusion patients should be allowed to reject blood if it came from a gay person and during a 2011 interview with Playboy, Bolsonaro said he’d be incapable of loving a gay son and would prefer that son to “die in an accident”.
Brazil’ general election will take place next month.