Leonardo DiCaprio responds to Brazil President Bolsanaro about the Amazon Fires

This appeared in The Millennial Source

On Friday, November 29, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro accused Hollywood actor Leondardo DiCaprio of financing fires set in the Amazon rainforest earlier this year. Bolsonaro claimed DiCaprio gave “money to set the Amazon on fire.”

According to the New York Times, President Bolsonaro’s remarks are his latest attempt to shift blame for the Amazon fires onto environmental groups operating in Brazil. The accusations made against DiCaprio follow the arrest of four volunteer firefighters in the Amazonian region of Pará accused of starting fires to generate donations.

Bolsanaro’s utterance

Reports suggest that Bolsonaro was commenting on claims that the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) paid for images that showed volunteer firefighters tackling fires in the Amazon. The strongly disputed accusation claims that volunteers set fires, took photos and then used the images to solicit donations, including a $500,000 contribution from DiCaprio.

Although the environmental organization denies receiving a donation from DiCaprio following the publication of the images, President Bolsanro said “This Leonardo DiCaprio is a cool guy, right? Giving money to…