The head of a Brazilian government agency dedicated to culture, has claimed rock music leads to abortions and hit out megastars Elvis Presley and John Lennon.

Dante Mantovani, who was appointed as the head of the National Arts Foundation (Funarte) earlier in the week, made the comments in an 11-minute YouTube video.

Mr Mantovani, who is one of the far-right Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro’s top officials for culture, said: “Rock music leads to drugs, which leads to sex, which leads to abortions.”

He added: “At the same time, the abortion industry feeds into something much more serious which is satanism”.

He also hits out at Presley, who is often referred to as the “King of Rock and Roll”, and Lennon, a Beatles star, in the clip which was shared on 30 October.

Eucalyptus plantations Brazil Show all 9 1 /9 Eucalyptus plantations Brazil Eucalyptus plantations Brazil Eucalyptus plantation in Espirito Santo, Brazil Simone Lovera Eucalyptus plantations Brazil Women workers occupy a farm owned by Suzano in Bahia after protesting against alleged impact of eucalyptus monoculture in March 2018 MST Communication Group, Bahia Eucalyptus plantations Brazil Women workers occupy a farm owned by Suzano in Bahia after protesting against alleged impact of eucalyptus monoculture in March 2018 MST Communication Group, Bahia Eucalyptus plantations Brazil Women workers occupy a farm owned by Suzano in Bahia after protesting against alleged impact of eucalyptus monoculture in March 2018 MST Communication Group, Bahia Eucalyptus plantations Brazil Pictured: reforestation effort. Simone Lovera told The Independent glyphosate is used to "remove existing vegetation" so new seeds can be planted but the chemical makes an impact on the undergrowth Simone Lovera Eucalyptus plantations Brazil Members of the Coxi Quilombera community who were surrounded by Fibria's plantations in 2018 Simone Lovera Eucalyptus plantations Brazil Agro-eco farm cultivated by the Landless Workers’ Movement Simone Lovera Eucalyptus plantations Brazil Impact of deforestation and land conversion Simone Lovera Eucalyptus plantations Brazil Simone Lovera told The Independent this land, photographed in September 2018, was once occupied by native Atlantic Forest. She said 92 percent is lost because of conversion to monoculture eucalyptus plantations and other activities like cattle ranching. But the Forest Stewardship Council told The Independent conversion of natural forest to plantation has not been tolerated since 1994. Simone Lovera

“Lennon openly said, more than once, that he made a pact with the devil – with satan, in order to be famous and successful,” Mr Mantovani, whose channel has over 6,000 subscribers, said.

He added: “In the 1950’s this so-called Elvis Presley emerges with rock music that makes everyone bounce and shake their hips. This is when certain behaviours start being introduced – Elvis Presley, for instance, died of an overdose.”

Mr Mantovani was picked to run Funarte, a government agency with a mission to “promote and incentivise the production, practice, development and diffusion of the arts throughout the country”, on 2 December.

The agency was set up in 1975 and always came under the jurisdiction of the ministry of culture until Mr Bolsonaro’s government disbanded the ministry and it became part of the ministry of citizenship.

Mr Bolsonaro launched a new political party called Alliance for Brazil (APB) in an attempt to strengthen power. Its statutes include pledges to defend life from the moment of conception and pass legislation which gives people the right to carry firearms to safeguard private property.

The populist president, a former army captain who overtly admires ex-dictators, has been criticised for making racist, homophobic and sexist remarks.