Brazilian president, who is mad at France, says he won't use Bic pens
GETTY President Donald J. Trump and President of the Federative Republic of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro trade soccer jerseys in the Oval Office at the White House on March 19, 2019. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has said he won't use pens made by French company Bic following his spat with President Emmanuel Macron over fires in the Amazon.
Bolsonaro said Friday he would sign presidential pardons for imprisoned police officers using Brazilian pen-maker Compactor.
"No more Bic," said the far-right president who has faced international criticism over devastating fires in Brazil's Amazon region.
Bic headquarters declined to comment on Saturday, saying only that Bic pens sold in Brazil are made in a factory in Manaus in the Amazon.
On Thursday, Bolsonaro said he would "use Compactor pens, not Bic... because Bic is French."
Bolsonaro and Marcon have had a series of clashes since Macron suggested that fires in the Amazon were an "international crisis," which Bolsonaro said undermined Brazil's sovereignty.