(Bloomberg) -- Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro canceled a planned trip to New York after human rights activists called on corporate sponsors to withdraw their support for a gala dinner to be hosted in his honor.
The presidential spokesman confirmed Bolsonaro's decision to scrap the visit, scheduled for May 14, Friday evening. In a statement, the president thanked the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce for choosing him as “Personality of the Year 2019” but added that due to the opposition of the mayor of New York and the pressure of various interest groups he would no longer attend.
The Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce has held an annual gala since 1970, with past honorees including former Brazilian and U.S presidents, but the invitation to Bolsonaro this year prompted widespread backlash.
The event was originally due to be held at the American Museum of Natural History, before the institution backtracked in the wake of fierce opposition from environmental activists. This week, Bain & Co., Delta Air Lines Inc. and the Financial Times withdrew their sponsorship of the dinner, following a campaign by the LGBTQ media advocacy group GLAAD urging companies to cancel their participation due to Bolsonaro's anti-gay rights rhetoric.
To contact the reporter on this story: Flavia Said in Brasilia at fsaid7@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Raymond Colitt at rcolitt@bloomberg.net, Bruce Douglas, Robert Jameson
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