DiCaprio denies passing on money to Bolsonaro-attacked NGO

President accused the actor of funding an organization that "set" fire in the Amazon

The accusations made by President Jair Bolsonaro against American actor Leonardo DiCaprio have not been left unanswered. On Friday, 29, Bolsonaro accused the Hollywood star and environmental activist of funding non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that would have set the Amazon on fire . The actor, who is the founder of a foundation and a member of the Earth Alliance , denied that he had given any money to WWF, the NGO accused by the president.

"While they are certainly worth supporting, we do not fund organizations that are currently under attack," DiCaprio said in a statement published by the news agencies. “The future of these irreplaceable ecosystems is at stake and I'm proud to be part of the groups that protect them.” In the note, he praised “the people of Brazil who work to save their natural and cultural heritage”.

WWF also said it did not receive donations from the actor, whose Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation focuses on environmental projects.

Bolsonaro's statement, given at the entrance to the Dawn Palace on Friday, went around the world. Speaking to a group of voters, the president said that the recent fires in Pará were criminally motivated. "Now Leonardo DiCaprio is a nice guy, isn't he?" “Giving money to set fire to the Amazon.”

Several vehicles have questioned the truth of what the president said. The British The Guardian called the attack "spurious accusation." "The president of Brazil has not offered evidence," he pointed out in one article. The newspaper also recalled that the statement came "24 hours after Bolsonaro made an equally unfounded claim to a live Facebook feed."