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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| Chavez revives deicide libel |
| 2006-01-05 |
| Prominent Jewish rights group, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, accused Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Wednesday of using what it said were anti-Semitic remarks and demanded an apology. In a televised Christmas Eve speech, Chavez, a left-winger and a former soldier, said that "minorities, descendants of those who crucified Christ ... have grabbed all the wealth of the world for themselves." Chavez, a Catholic, did not mention the Jewish people and in the same comments referred to the betrayal of Venezuelan liberation hero Simon Bolivar. But the group said his remarks represented central arguments of anti-Semitism -- accusing the Jews of killing Jesus Christ and associating them with wealth. "Both elements have served as a perfect excuse to justify the most cruel persecution and killing during two millenniums," the Wiesenthal center said in a statement. "Our center strongly condemns his anti-Semitic declarations. This insult to universal humanitarian values demands an immediate retraction and public apology," it said. An official from Chavez' presidential palace said the government had no immediate comment. The center's International Relations Director Shimon Samuels and its Latin America representative Sergio Widder also sent a letter to Chavez demanding an apology, according to the center's statement. They said they would call on the governments of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay to suspend Venezuela's entry into the Mercosur trade bloc until Chavez apologizes. The center said "the reactionary and medieval rhetoric" echoed that of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who last month expressed doubt the extermination of Jews by the Nazis known as Holocaust occurred and suggested the Jewish state be moved to Europe. Chavez, a vocal critic of Washington, has recently been fostering ties with Iran as he builds political and trade alliances as an alternative to U.S. influence. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #4 minorities, descendants of those who crucified Christ ... have grabbed all the wealth of the world for themselves." Gosh.. I wasn't aware that Pilot and those Roman soldiers had done so well for themselves. Did they get the book and movie rights from HollyRome? Judas must be really ticked that he only got 30 pieces of silver instead of a percentage of the royalties. |
| Posted by: 2b 2006-01-05 12:43 |
| #3 A while back, the bishop's group there (whatever they're called) read him the riot act and he declared himself to be a Protestant. The Protestant groups there then declared that they'd never seen him at _their_ churches and meetings... |
| Posted by: Abspembleable Snowspemble 2006-01-05 12:21 |
| #2 Since Chavez is Catholic, the Pope should write him a little note. |
| Posted by: mhw 2006-01-05 10:48 |
| #1 With his anti-American rants, his trips to Iran, and now this, Shovez is practically painting a bull's eye on his head. |
| Posted by: The Happy Fliegerabwehrkanonen 2006-01-05 10:22 |