Outrageous Quotes That Prove Jair Bolsonaro is a Threat to Brazil's Democracy

Bolsonaro, who is leading Brazil's presidential polls, has a long history of embracing torture and making violent comments against vulnerable groups.

Jair Bolsonaro, the leading candidate in Brazil's presidential race, has been criticized nationally and internationally for his sexist, homophobic, racist, and authoritarian comments. Most recently, a petition signed by 190,000 Brazilians warns about how Bolsonaro represents a “clear threat to our fundamental civilizational heritage.”

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teleSUR English takes a look at the candidate's eight most dangerous comments Bolsonaro has made during his political career to provide a glimpse into why many believe he poses such a threat to democracy and a “plural” Brazil.

Flirting with Brazil's Dictatorship (1964 - 1985)

1. In a 1999 televised interview, he said: "I am in favor of torture, you know that, and the people are in favor too. Through the vote, you will not change anything in this country. Anything! Absolutely nothing! Things will change, unfortunately, the day we start a civil war in here. And doing the work that the military regime did not do, killing about 30,000! Some innocent will die, it’s OK."

2. In 2016, he dedicated his vote in favor of impeaching democratically-elected President Dilma Rousseff to Colonel Carlos Brilhante, who ran the detention center where Dilma was tortured in her youth. “In memory of Carlos Alberto Brilhante Ustra, the terror of Dilma Rousseff," he said prior to casting his vote.