Unpublished attacks against Emmanuel Macron mark a sharp escalation in the tensions between Brasilia and Paris. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Sunday (August 26th) endorsed on Facebook an offensive comment for First Lady Brigitte Macron, while one of her ministers treated French President Emmanuel Macron as "an opportunistic cretin".

Tensions have been brightened in recent days by the pressure exerted by France, host of a G7 summit, on Jair Bolsonaro to act against the dramatic fires in the Amazon.

>> To see: "Amazon: at the heart of the fight against fire starts"

Jair Bolsonaro reacted to a post that made fun of the physique of the first French lady - appearing on a photo disadvantageous - by comparing it to that of Michelle Bolsonaro (37 years), radiant on the day of the investiture of her husband.

"Do not embarrass the type - MDR"

"Now you understand why Macron is persecuting Bolsonaro?", Reads next to photos of the two presidential couples. "It's the jealousy (...) of Macron, I bet," writes the user, Rodrigo Andreaça.

"Do not embarrass the guy - MDR (" death of laughter "), commented President Bolsonaro in reference to his French counterpart.

Asked by AFP whether this post had been published by the head of state himself, a spokesman for Planalto's presidential palace simply replied, "We do not comment."

Also on Sunday, Emmanuel Macron was heavily insulted on Twitter by the Brazilian Minister of Education.

Macron, "it's just an opportunistic moron"

"Macron is not up to this debate (on the Amazon, Ed) .It's just an opportunist moron seeking the support of the French agricultural lobby," wrote Minister Abraham Weintraub, referring to the French President's opposition to the EU-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement.

The term used in Portuguese ("calhorda"), very far from the diplomatic uses, has no exact equivalent in French but is at the crossroads of "cheater", "moron" and "asshole".

"France is a country of extremes, it has produced men like Descartes or Pasteur, but also the volunteers of the Waffen SS Charlemagne," writes Abraham Weintraub in reference to the Charlemagne division of the Nazi regime integrated by French volunteers.

In the midst of a flurry of tweets, the Minister of Education continues: "They chose a president without character" and "we must attack this idiot Macron".

Diplomatic Affront

Olavo de Carvalho, writer and "guru" of Jair Bolsonaro, exiled in the United States, for its part forged on Twitter the name of "Macrocon", at the moment when the Bolsonarist sphere is unleashed against the French president.

The son of Jair Bolsonaro, Eduardo - deputy federal and possible future ambassador of Brazil in Washington - had retweeted Friday a video of violent demonstrations of Yellow Vests in France with the text: "Macron is an idiot."

The Amazon has thrown oil on the fire of a Franco-Brazilian relationship that has strained after the arrival in power in Brasilia of the far-right president.

Jair Bolsonaro had inflicted a diplomatic affront at the end of July to the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian, visiting Brasilia, canceling their meeting.

He had posted on Facebook a live in which he was seen having his hair cut at the scheduled time of the meeting, which had been canceled "for questions of agenda".

Jean-Yves Le Drian, who had apparently been wrong to meet Brazilian NGOs often hostile to Jair Bolsonaro, had joked about this "hair emergency".

In recent days, about the Amazon, Jair Bolsonaro has accused Emmanuel Macron of having a "colonialist mentality" while he accused him of having "lied" on its climate commitments.

With AFP