Pro-Israel evangelical Mayor Marcello Crivella made the remarks after dedicating a city square named after Peres in the heart of Copacabana, Rio's most Jewish-populated neighborhood.
Israel “has shown to the world that it is a strong democracy surrounded by the most barbarian atrocities and totalitarian regimes,” said Marcelo Crivella, a longtime friend of the Jewish community.
The Hebraica sports club in Rio invited Jair Bolsonaro — an advocate of Israel and of Brazil's right-wing dictatorship — following the scrapping of his talk at the Sao Paulo branch.