Pink Floyd's Roger Waters Draws Heat Over Brazil Fascism Warning

(Bloomberg) -- The bitter polarization in Brazilian politics is even splitting Pink Floyd fans.

Roger Waters, during the first of eight concerts in the country, added front runner Jair Bolsonaro’s name to a list of “fascist” world leaders projected on a wall on stage, which also included U.S. President Donald Trump, according to images published in local media. Bolsonaro, who’s seen as the favorite to win the presidential runoff on Oct. 28, is known for divisive statements on minorities and a benign view of dictatorship.

Waters, known for his political activism, also projected the #EleNao (#NotHim) hashtag used in protests against Bolsonaro, and spoke about the upcoming elections and the importance of human rights and protests.

Rogerio Chequer, a former financial market executive who ran for Sao Paulo governor for the Novo party, tweeted from the concert that there was something “very wrong” in Bolsonaro’s name being included in the list. He was flooded with responses from both sides, claiming either he didn’t know what the songs are about or backing him in his hatred for the Workers’ Party and its candidate Fernando Haddad.

The crowd’s reaction, judging by videos posted on website G1, was also split, with a mix of claps and “not him” screams as well as boos and “never again” chants against the Workers’ Party.

His remaining seven concerts in the country including a show in Curitiba, a conservative stronghold on the eve of the second round, promise to be polarizing.

To contact the reporter on this story: Julia Leite in Sao Paulo at jleite3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Daniel Cancel at dcancel@bloomberg.net

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