Brazilian Jewish Leaders Protest Ahmadinejad’s Visit for Rio+20
by Deby Medrez Pier
Leaders within Brazil’s Jewish communities are voicing their opposition to the upcoming meeting between their president, Dilma Rousseff and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad next week, in Brazil.
Ahmadinejad will be traveling to Brazil for Rio +20, a United Nations summit that seeks to “shape how we can reduce poverty, advance social equity and ensure environmental protection on an ever more crowded planet”, according to the event’s website.
The Confederação Israelita do Brasil (CONIB), declared their appeal to Brazil’s Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota last week by citing their fears of Iran’s nuclear program and Ahmadinejad’s denial of the Holocaust.
Walter Feldman, a Brazilian congressman, believes that Ahmadinejad is a “danger to Brazil and South America” and opposes the Iranian leader’s entry.
CONIB will join other Brazilian Jewish groups, on June 17th, to rally against Ahmadinejad’s visit.