Franco Rinaldi, the main Buenos Aires City legislative candidate for Juntos por el Cambio (JxC), withdrew his candidacy after videos of him making discriminatory remarks against Jewish people and the LGBTQIA+ community, among many others, surfaced online.

Last week, the Unión Cívica Radical (UCR) party Buenos Aires branch — which is part of JxC — demanded that Rinaldi resign from his candidacy for “advancing homophobia and sexism,” as well as “discriminating against people living in deprived neighborhoods.”

“Well, this got too complicated and I want to save my family from suffering, and I do not want to be a hindrance to anyone, much less to Jorge Macri, who I have no doubt will be an extraordinary mayor of Buenos Aires,” Rinaldi tweeted today. “In order not to harm him and the whole team that trusted me, I want to tell you that I am resigning from my candidacy for Buenos Aires Congressman.”

As a YouTuber, Rinaldi — a self-defined supporter of former US President Donald Trump  — suggested using a “flamethrower” in Villa 31, a low-income neighborhood in Buenos Aires. He also said the American movement “Black Lives Matter” should be called “Black Lies,” and used derogatory terms against Jewish people and the LGTBQIA+ community.

Bueno, esto se puso demasiado complicado y quiero ahorrarle sufrimiento a mi familia, y no quiero ser un estorbo para nadie, mucho menos para Jorge Macri, de quien no dudo será un extraordinario jefe de Gobierno de la Ciudad. Para no perjudicarlo a él y a todo el equipo que…

— Franco Rinaldi (@FrancoVRinaldi) July 13, 2023

Rinaldi tweeted today that the discrimination accusations were “attacks,” describing them as “opportunistic.”

“I already said what I think of those video clips and I apologized,” he wrote today, referring to his apology from last week, where he said his remarks were part of a “stand-up” routine. 

“I am deeply offended to be told that I am homophobic or anti-Semitic, and there is nothing, nothing further from the truth, but I can’t do more,” he tweeted today. “This is it. This is politics and I will keep fighting for freedom and the Constitution wherever I have to do so.”

Two weeks ago, Rinaldi himself was discriminated against by Lucas Luna, who was running for the Mercosur Parliament for the libertarian party La Libertad Avanza. 

“Nobody — and I say this in the best way possible — nobody wants to vote for a disabled person,” Luna had said about Rinaldi, who has osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic disorder that results in bones that break easily and, in his case, short stature.

Luna was forced to resign from his candidacy after his remarks went viral.