Brazil politician’s sexist remarks about women fleeing Ukraine sparks controversy

São Paulo congressman Arthur do Val has found himself in troubled waters after he referred to female Ukrainian war refugees as "easy" during a trip to Ukraine. Arthur do Val, 35, made the vile comments while he was supposed to be on a diplomatic mission last week to witness the devastation of the war first-hand and raise awareness of the plight of Ukrainians. However, Do Val sparked outrage after Brazilian media leaked secret recordings of him discussing the trip in such crude terms that he had to suspend his campaign to be São Paulo’s governor.

“I’ve just crossed the border on foot between Ukraine and Slovakia. Bro, I swear to you … I’ve never seen anything like it in terms of beautiful girls. The refugee queue … it’s like 200 meters long or more of just total goddesses,” he said, according to the Guardian. “It’s some incredible s–t … The queue outside Brazil’s best nightclub … doesn’t come close to the refugee queue here.”The outlet said Do Val also called Ukrainian women “easy because they’re poor. ”The wife of Ukraine’s former ambassador to Brazil condemned the politician and said, “Show some respect, you punk,” the Guardian said. Do Val blamed a lack of water and access to a shower for his words, saying he became “over-excited” and “talked nonsense,” the outlet reported.An online petition called for Da Val to be suspended from the Brazilian parliament has already reached more than 56,000 signatures.