Chile’s Leftist President Mocks Critic Noting Hypocrisy of Taking Private Plane to ‘Green’ Energy Trip: ‘I’ll Take a Canoe’

Gabriel Boric 
GLENN ARCOS/AFP via Getty Images
Christian K. Caruzo

Chilean far-left President Gabriel Boric starred in an online controversy on Tuesday after he mocked a social media user who pointed out the hypocrisy of Boric taking a private jet to Antarctica on a “green trip” to warn everyone about climate change.

Boric announced on Friday that, due to the “climate crisis,” he is slated to travel to Antarctica next week with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres.

Boric, who made the announcement during the sendoff ceremony of Chile’s national team for the upcoming 2023 Parapanamerican Games, did not disclose further specifics of his upcoming Antarctica trip, but explained that he will “fly with speed” after he concludes a visit to the United States on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit held in San Francisco this week.

“I hope to be able to join you at least Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday; then I have a trip to Antarctica with the U.N. Secretary-General, regarding the climate crisis, I hope to be with you at the inauguration,” Boric said to the Chilean national team.

The announcement of Boric’s trip to Antarctica prompted Chilean economist José Luis Daza to criticize Boric on Monday through his personal Twitter account.

“Boric travels on a special, private flight to Antarctica to see the damage caused to Antarctica by private flights,” Daza’s message read.

Boric responded to Daza’s criticism on Tuesday, ironizing the situation by joking that he will take a canoe to travel to Antarctica instead of using a plane.

“I am going to propose to the U.N. Secretary-General that we go by canoe paddling instead of with the Chilean Air Force to help people like you not to have to go through this bad time. Greetings,” Boric’s message read.

Hours later, Daza responded to Boric with a message that contains a cartoon depiction of Boric paddling a canoe alongside a group of men.

“Everything is ready for Gabriel Boric’s trip. Take the chance and ask Greta [Thunberg] to pick you up. She went by sailboat to the U.N. to avoid polluting,” Daza wrote. “Of course, put solar-powered wifi to the canoe. Indispensable to keep doing things so important for Chile. Like answering my tweets.”

The situation prompted Chilean Socialist Party lawmaker Tomás de Rementería to join in on Boric’s with a sarcastic suggestion of his own.

“It can be on the [Chilean bus company] Turbus that leaves from Punta Arenas to Base Frei,”   de Rementería replied to Boric on Tuesday.

Congressman Sergio Bobadilla of the right-wing Independent Democratic Union party opted to mock Boric. 

“We would appreciate it if the most excellent president of the republic would travel by canoe, together with the U.N. secretary-general, to Antarctica and demonstrate to his critics his commitment to saving the planet,” Bobadilla’s message read.

In another post, Bobadilla suggested Boric employ an “ecological canoe” for his Antarctica trip.

Both U.N. Secretary-General Guterres and Boric touched upon the subject of climate change during their respective remarks at the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September.

Guterres, during the General Assembly’s opening ceremony, fiercely demanded $100 billion from “developed countries” to fight what he allegedly described as a deadly “climate chaos.” Guterres has also continued to make calls to end the use of fossil fuels.

Boric, during his U.N. General Assembly speech, urged countries with “greater industrial activity” to assume responsibility to be “not only more respectful of the environment, but more supportive.”

Last month, during his official visit to China, the world’s most polluting country, Boric issued an invitation to Chinese dictator Xi Jinping to visit Chilean Antarctica, a visit that is tentatively slated to take place in 2024 after next year’s APEC summit, which Peru will host.

Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.

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