"They don’t know how to plant rice, so let them die of hunger in poverty." This comment about Indigenous Brazilians came from an official in the country's northeastern state of Maranhao, who has taken out Survival International's Racist of the Year award for 2015.
The politician, Fernando Furtado was given the award for comments he made in a speech to a meeting of loggers and ranchers in July where he also called Indigenous Brazilians "a bunch of little gays".
Widespread outrage forced Mr Furtado to issue a formal retraction.
This is the second year running that a Brazilian has received the notorious award.
Politician Luis Carlos Heinze was named Racist of the Year 2014 for saying “the government … is in bed with the blacks, the Indians, the gays, the lesbians, all the losers”.
"These loathsome remarks indicate the extent of racism against tribal peoples among some of the most powerful people in Brazilian society," said Survival International director Stephen Corry.
"It's important that people both within and outside of Brazil are aware of the prevalance of these attitudes, because they underpin the genocidal onslaught of violence that Brazilian tribes face today. That’s why we’ve decided to make Furtado Racist of the Year 2015.”
