With elections approaching in Venezuela, opposition leader Henrique Capriles Radonski – and especially his Jewish background – has become a lightening rod for criticism from state run media and supporters of Hugo Chavez.
Some of it clearly crosses into anti-Semitism.
Here, HR’s Latin American affiliate, ReporteHonesto takes a look at some of the most virulent anti-Israel and anti-Semitic press generated by the appointment of Radonsk as head of the opposition alliance, Mesa de la Unidad Democrática (MUD) / the Coalition for Democratic Unity, who will be competing for the Venezuelan presidency on October 7 against Hugo Chavez.
Chavez supporters have launched an unscrupulous campaign to discredit the opposition candidate. One of the main focuses of these attacks concern Capriles parents’ Jewish religion, and Judaism in connection with Zionism and the State of Israel.
Related content: Chavez Media’s Seeds of Anti-Semitism
Among the articles analyzed by ReporteHonesto’s team, none of the writers evaluates MUD’s policy proposals or Capriles’ plans for government. Instead, the articles are filled with unfounded attacks demonizing and discrediting Judaism, Zionism and the State of Israel, with expressions such as “pro-Zionist rats”.
Here are some examples.
1. Venezuelan National Radio published an article entitled: “Zionism is the Enemy: a promise that conceals a pitfall”
It suggests that in order “to understand the interests that embody the candidate of the Venezuelan and transnational oligarchy, Capriles Radonski, it is important to know what Zionism is; the Israeli ideology he covertly represents”.
There follows a vicious attack on Zionism as a colonialist ideology based on racial superiority and Israel as the murderer of “millions” of Palestinians. Zionism is:
undoubtedly the ideology of terror, the most rotten of feelings represented by humanity; supposedly patriotic impulses based on greed… .
Drawing on classic anti-Semitism, the article states:
Zionism is the majority owner of financial institutions in the world, controlling almost 80 percent of the global economy and communications industry almost entirely, while maintaining decision-making positions within the US Department of State and European powers.
Capriles is depicted as an agent of “international Zionism, which threatens to destroy the planet we inhabit”.
2. The Socialist and pro-Chavez news website Aporrea.org has published articles labeling Zionism as fascist, and accusing Capriles of Zionist links.
In the first example, the title “Capriles Radonski: fascist of the oligarch-bourgeoisie, Zionism and the Yankee Empire” pretty much says it all as “Zionist oligarchs” are claimed to be behind opposition to Chavez.
A second hate-filled article is titled: “The Zionist Henrique Capriles and the battle that is coming“. Here, Capriles is an ”appendage of U.S. imperialism, as well as international Zionism” whose “religious and Jewish-Zionist political party” is connected to not only “the wealthy bourgeoisie and the organized Jewish community in Venezuela, but of the great world Zionist lobbies.”
The article speaks of “ dominance of Zionist lobbies on the right wing parties in the U.S. and Europe” while depicting Zionists (read “Jews”) as bourgeois outsiders. The following is included in the footnotes:
Henrique’s mother is Monica Cristina Capriles Radonski Bochenek, from a Russian-Polish Jewish family. His father, Henrique Capriles Garcia, a descendant of a family of Sephardic Jews of Curaçao.
This second article was written by Basem Tajeldine, who has published on his Twitter account, tweets such as:
“pro-Zionists rats belonging to Islamic groups in Libya destroy memorial statue of Gamal Abdel Nasser”
“Capriles Radonski won’t lack any resources for his global zionist campaign. The Government of Israel will intervene directly.”
In a third article titled “October 7th is written: Socialism against fascism, humanity´s destiny”, the author suggests that the “Zionists and Yankees have decided to go to the elections on October 7 with a candidate […] who comes from a wealthy, exploitative, Zionist and pro-imperialist family.”
These are but a small selection of articles that signify a worrying trend in the Venezuelan media, most of which is dominated by Hugo Chavez, as classical anti-Semitism dressed up as anti-Zionism is employed to attack the Venezuelan opposition party and its leader.
HonestReporting CEO Joe Hyams adds:
This has nothing to do with legitimate political discourse and everything to do with Jew hatred. This sort of incitement should have no place in the media or in a political campaign and it should be condemned. I call on the government of Hugo Chavez to stop this anti-Semitic incitement immediately.
