Venezuela’s dictator Nicolas Maduro is blaming “international Zionism” for the civil unrest that has followed his reelection in a vote largely believed to have actually been won by his opponent, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia.
In a national address last weekend, Maduro claimed, “All the communication power of Zionism, who controls all social networks, the satellites, and all the power behind this coup d’état,” were responsible for the massive protests over the disputed election results.
Security forces have been arresting alleged violent protesters, according to Reuters, which reported the country’s electoral authority claimed Maduro won the election with 51 percent of the vote.
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has called on police and other security personnel to stand by the protesters rather than arrest them.
Meanwhile, US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Deborah Lipstadt condemned Maduro’s “absurd” claims, calling the dictator’s remarks “antisemitic and unacceptable.”
Maduro’s absurd claim that Jews are behind election protests in Venezuela is antisemitic and unacceptable. The Venezuelan people have gone to the streets to peacefully call for their votes to be counted. We reject all forms of antisemitism, and the use of these types of age-old…
— Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt (@StateSEAS) August 5, 2024
In a statement posted to social media on Monday, Lipstadt said Venezuelans “have gone to the streets to peacefully call for their votes to be counted.
“We reject all forms of antisemitism, and the use of these types of age-old tropes fans the flames of Jew hatred in Latin America and throughout the world.”
