The son’s script promises to be the same as the father’s. When it comes to Indigenous lands, it is no different: dehumanization of Indigenous peoples, denial of the demarcation of traditional territories, and defense of agricultural and mining production inside them.
During the presidential campaign, Flávio Bolsonaro repeated statements about Indigenous peoples similar to those his father made during the years he led the federal Executive. And he signaled that he will follow the same path: the absence (and destruction) of policies aimed at these territories and attacks on the traditional way of life.
Flávio, like Bolsonaro, compares Indigenous people to animals. “They don’t want to be a zoo animal anymore,” he said in an interview, defending the economic exploitation of Indigenous territories by agriculture and mining.
During a visit to an agribusiness fair in Mato Grosso months ago, Flávio also reinforced that, like his father, he will not demarcate Indigenous lands. “If it’s up to our government, none of these reserves will be demarcated, because the State’s calling is production.”
On that occasion, the candidate also claimed there is an “ideological attempt” by the Lula government to “hinder” agribusiness. “There are Funai requests for demarcations of Indigenous reserves that could total 2,2 million hectares (5.4 million acres), affecting 22 municipalities in Mato Grosso. It’s unacceptable.”