The mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes, has labeled German Chancellor Friedrich Merz a ‘Nazi’ in response to his disparaging remarks about the Brazilian city of Belem, which hosted the UN Climate Summit. The incident has sparked outrage in Brazil, with officials condemning the chancellor’s comments as disrespectful to the country.
Merz spent a day at the international event earlier this month. On returning to Berlin, he shared his impressions of the city in northern Brazil with the attendees of a trade conference in the German capital last Thursday. His remark has caused a stir in Brazil this week, with a number of officials expressing outrage at what they perceived as contempt for their country by a Western leader.
In a post on X on Tuesday, Rio de Janeiro mayor Paes described Merz as a ‘Son of Hitler! Tramp! Nazi!’ The Brazilian official deleted the post soon afterward, writing in another message that the tirade was his ‘way of letting off steam today.’
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva suggested that Mer, only has himself to blame for failing to enjoy the delights of Belem to the fullest, saying the Brazilian city compares favorably with Berlin.
In a post on X, the governor of Para state where Belem is located, Helder Barbalh wrote: ‘it’s curious to see those who helped warm the planet find the Amazon’s heat strange.’
Speaking on Wednesday, the German chancellor stood by his controversial statement. ‘I said that Germany is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and I assume President Lula will accept that,’ Merz said.
While Merz’s choice of words has not created as much of a splash at home, he has received some criticism. Katharina Droge from the Green Party said the ‘image the Chancellor projected during his trip to Brazil was disastrous.’