Brazil President accuses Leonardo DiCaprio for setting Amazon on fire

Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro has accused actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio of funding the Amazon fire.

Bolsonaro made these remarks while talking to supporters outside the Presidential Palace in Brasilia on Saturday, reported CNN.

"Leonardo DiCaprio is a great guy, isn't he? Donating money to set the Amazon on fire," he said.

President Jair Bolsonaro made the similar claims on Thursday on a webcast, arguing that non-governmental orgzations (NGOs) contributed to the forest fires that ravaged the Amazon rainforest earlier this year

"The NGO people, what did they do? What's easier? Set fire to the bush," he said, providing no evidence to support the accusation.

He continued, "Take photo, film, send it to an NGO, the NGO spreads it out, does a campaign against Brazil, gets in touch with Leonardo DiCaprio and Leonardo DiCaprio donates $500,000 to this NGO. One part went to the people who were setting the fire, right?"Leonardo DiCaprio, you are assisting with the burning of the Amazon, that can't be," Bolsonaro said.

However, DiCaprio has broken his silence on Saturday and refuted Bolsonaro's accusations while maintaining his support to the Brazilian people working to save the forest.

"The future of these irreplaceable ecosystems is at stake and I am proud to stand with the groups protecting them. While worthy of support, we did not fund the orgzations targeted," he wrote.

Bolsonaro, who was elected in October 2018, has been criticised for not protecting the Amazon rainforest. The President had rejected a 20 million dollar aid offered during the G7 summit in France to protect the Amazon rainforest.

( With inputs from ANI )