http://www.qando.net/ - Venezuela: First they came for the Jews

Venezuelan Jews, long uneasy with the Chávez government's alliances with Iran and other Middle Eastern countries that espouse anti-Israel views, are concerned that the government is sponsoring anti-Semitism in this hemisphere, a prominent journalist said Tuesday.

''The situation we have now in Venezuela is that for the first time in modern history we have government-sponsored anti-Semitism in a Western country,'' said Sammy Eppel. ``That is why this is very dangerous, not just for the Jewish community in Venezuela but for the Jewish community as a whole.''

Among the examples offered by Eppel:

Venezuelan government intelligence services twice have raided the country's most important Jewish center in a vague, ultimately unsuccessful search for weapons. Publications of the government's cultural ministry run articles entitled ''the Jewish Question,'' along with a Jewish star superimposed over a swastika.

There is no question that any sort of relationship with Iran is going to have some stipulations given the theocracy in power there. But with all totalitarian states, it is necessary to "build a case" so it can provide some technical or legal basis for their action. It also has to turn popular support away from the target population as well - a process we've watched unfold throughout history:

One 2006 article in El Diario de Caracas debates whether it will be necessary to ''expel [the Jews] from the country.'' Another article in the Diario VEA accuses Jews of being involved in the murder of a government prosecutor.

Jews are, apparently, becoming a target in Venezuela. Think carefully about how totalitarians work. They have to have both an internal and external enemy in order to justify measures taken to expand powers. Jews have provided that internal enemy to so many dictators that this is like a bad rerun. But then, no one would claim that a dictator who is convinced he can make socialism work when no one else could, is worried about being particularly original.

TrackBacks

Return to Main Blog Page

Comments For This Post

Previous Comments to this Post

Comments

Oy vey......Jews, get out of there now.

History shows things get a LOT worse before they get better.

And even if the anti-semitism never goes any further, Chavez is gonna run it into the ground anyway.

Written By: shark
URL: http://

And how will the left justify this lunacy???

Written By: Keith_Indy
URL: http://asecondhandconjecture.com

And how will the left justify this lunacy???

Not Anti-Semitism...Anti-Zionism...Zionist Dagger State, Palestinian people denied self-determination...Zionist Occupation...Zionist Apartheid State...Zionist Repression...Zionist War Crimes...US Imperialism...Iraq...Iran...Legitimate needs of self-defense denied by Global Hegemon and Zionist ally....CIA....Dark Forces...Forces of Counter-Revolution and Reaction...General need for "tolerance" and Jewish exclusivity...the general antiquated nature of religious belief in the context of the Modern zeitgeist...Yada Yada Yada Yada...Hope that answers your question.

Written By: Joe
URL: http://

And how will the left justify this lunacy???

By blaming Venezuelan "Neocons"!

Written By: shark
URL: http://

Honestly, I got a little quesy reading that post. I’ve always seen Chavez as a short term dictator who will simply bankrupt Venezuela. I didn’t realize (and should have) that he has the power to scapegoat any group and picking on the Jews will only make his Iranian buddies happy. God , it makes me ill.

Written By: Tim
URL: http://

Add Your Comment

	NOTICE: While we don't wish to censor your thoughts, we do blacklist certain terms of profanity or obscenity. This is not to muzzle you, but to ensure that the blog remains work-safe for our readers. If you wish to use profanity, simply insert asterisks (*) where the vowels usually go. Your meaning will still be clear, but our readers will be able to view the blog without worrying that content monitoring will get them in trouble when reading it.
	Comments for this entry are closed.
Name:
Email:
URL:
HTML Tools:
Comment:
	Remember Me

Vicious Capitalism

Buy Dale's Book!