Brazilian volleyball participant suspended over Lula ballot

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian volleyball membership Cruzeiro suspended Olympic gold medalist Wallace de Souza on Tuesday after he performed a social media ballot asking his followers whether or not they would shoot Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva within the face.

The 35-year-old de Souza, who performed on Brazil’s profitable group on the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016 and has gained a number of different titles with the nationwide group, is a hardcore supporter of former President Jair Bolsonaro, Lula’s far-right opponent.

The volleyball participant shares Bolsonaro’s pro-gun insurance policies, which the leftist Lula seeks to reverse. Lula, who additionally ruled between 2003-2010, took workplace on Jan. 1 after a slim victory over Bolsonaro in October’s elections.

Cruzeiro didn’t specify the size of de Souza’s suspension.

Later, de Souza stated he regretted posting the ballot on his Instagram account.

De Souza wrote on social media that “I’d by no means incite violence in any context, even much less so with regards to our president. So I’m right here to apologize, it was an unlucky posting I made. I used to be mistaken.”

Authorities minister Paulo Pimenta stated Brazil’s solicitor-general will take motion towards de Souza.

The Brazilian Volleyball Confederation stated in a press release it “repudiates any sort of violence or incitation to violent motion.”

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