BRASILIA, Aug 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro said he will stop using disposable pens made by France’s Bic to sign official documents, while a diplomatic spat continues over fires in the Amazon basin.
“A pen (of the Brazilian brand) Compactor and no more Bic, will work,” Bolsonaro said, confirming remarks he made during a live broadcast on Facebook.
Bolsonaro said he would stop using Bic “because it is French.”
Most of the Bic ballpoint pens sold in Brazil are made in the French company’s factory in the Brazilian city of Manaus in the Amazon, a Bic spokesperson said.
Bolsonaro has previously cited Bic pens, which are cheap and commonly used in Brazil, as a sign of austerity after the expenses of his predecessors.
Bolsonaro has repeatedly clashed with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in recent days. — NNN-AGENCIES
