Germany’s Merz faces angry backlash in Brazil after disparaging Belém

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is facing a severe backlash in Brazil over comments made following his visit to the Amazonian city of Belém, the host city for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30).

During a visit to Shanghai on Wednesday, Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil admitted that Merz’s remarks have caused “irritation,” with Brazilian media and politicians voicing their outrage.

The German leader travelled to Belém for a summit two weeks ago ahead of the annual climate negotiations.

On his return to Berlin, Merz said he had asked journalists who travelled with him to Brazil whether any of them wanted to stay in Belém.

“No one raised their hand,” Merz said. He argued that the reporters were “happy” to return to Germany, which he described as “one of the most beautiful countries in the world.”

In response, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Merz should have gone to a bar in Belém, danced and tried out the local cuisine.

“Then he would have realized that Berlin does not even offer him 10% of the quality that the state of Pará and the city of Belém provide,” Lula charged.

Other Brazilian politicians were not so restrained. Eduardo Paes, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, reportedly called Merz a “son of Hitler” and a “Nazi” in a post on X that he later deleted.

Klingbeil tried to play down the controversy on Wednesday, arguing that “the chancellor’s visit to Belém was a very successful one.”

However, the remarks could overshadow Merz’s pledge that Germany will contribute to Lula’s landmark new rainforest fund, the Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF).