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One of Brazil’s Biggest YouTubers Took on the Country’s President. Now He’s in Fear for His Life.
Politicians are realizing the power YouTubers hold over viewers — right as those same creators are finding their voice
In September Felipe Neto’s mother was forced to flee Brazil after her son, one of the country’s most famous YouTubers, received countless threats from unnamed masses. It’s a sad but normal occurrence for many digital creators, but the threats Neto’s mother received were different: they were stoked by supporters of far-right president Jair Bolsonaro and the evangelical fundamentalist mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Marcello Crivella.
The YouTuber, one of the biggest in the world with 34 million subscribers, didn’t avoid the mob’s ire, either. He’s been forced to cancel events including a pro-education meeting in Rio de Janeiro, after receiving threats that made him fear for his life and of his relatives.
“In a way, we were expecting that could happen,” Neto says in a rare interview with FFWD. “This is the reflection of a society without education, without study, that ends up falling to a side of hatred, oppression and violence to try to impose what it considers right.”
