A socialist leader 'corrects' an antisemitic message with another that trivializes nazism

@ElentirENG ES 6·08·2023 · 7:01 0

Antisemitism is an increasingly widespread scourge among the left, as has become evident in Spain.

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HA few days ago, Amparo Rubiales, current provincial president of the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) in Seville, former councilor of the Junta de Andalucía and former deputy of the PSOE, posted a message on his Twitter account calling Elías Bendodo a "nazi Jew". Bendodo is the general coordinator of the Popular Party and descendant of a family of Sephardic Jews. Rubiales launched that antisemitic insult simply because Bendodo criticized the date chosen by Pedro Sánchez for the July 23 general elections.

To justify his anti-Semitic insult, Rubiales shared this other message that identifies Israel with the Nazis posting two photos of an Israeli tank being stoned by Palestinian children. Let us remember that Palestinian nationalists often use their children to go and throw stones at the Israeli military, in an attempt to get them to retaliate against the little ones and record them. It is a crude form of political instrumentalization of children that many describe as "Pallywood". Remember that the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) points to Nazi accusations against Israel as an example of anti-Semitism, a definition officially signed by the Kingdom of Spain in 2020< /a>.

The Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain yesterday condemned Rubiales' antisemitic comment: "It is antisemitism since Bendodo's Jewish origin is pointed out when no other politician is identified with his origin or religion."

Likewise, the Spanish Jewish collective Action and Communication on the Middle East (ACOM) has noted: "Only an unbalanced or evil person can put those two words together. In short, by using the word “Jew” in an insulting context, the PSOE should act organically and the Prosecutor's Office legally. For using the term "nazi" against a political adversary, Amparo Rubiales should be dismissed. But calling a Sephardic leader of the opposition a "nazi Jew" exceeds all limits."

Yesterday, the PSOE of Seville distanced itself from the words of its president and asked her for a rectification. In turn, the Popular Party has stated: "While she continues as president of the PSOE of Seville, both Pedro Sánchez and Juan Espadas are co-responsible for these statements, something clearly unacceptable."

Faced with the controversy caused by his anti-Semitic message, Rubiales published a message of false apologies in which he defends himself by saying that he intended to "point out a serious inconsistency". The message ends with this statement: "Bendodo is a nazi."

Calling a political rival a "nazi" out of the blue is a clear example of trivializing nazism, a very common practice among the left and extreme left. Elías Bendodo is not a nazi. He is a democratic politician with whom one may or may not agree, but disagreement does not legitimize anyone to insult him in this way. In fact, calling a Jew like him a "nazi" is absolutely repulsive, considering that the Jewish people were the main victims of the crimes of genocide perpetrated by the nazis.

With her insult, what Rubiales does is contribute to lowering the perception of the seriousness of the crimes committed by the nazis, as if what the nazis had done was limited to making legitimate criticism of a leader socialist like Pedro Sánchez. It is worth asking: what more atrocities does Rubiales have to say for the PSOE to dismiss her? And it is also worth asking: is the leadership of the PP willing to sign pacts with a party like the PSOE, which maintains in their ranks to a leader who has called a PP leader a "nazi"?

Of course, all my solidarity and support for Elías Bendodo and the Jewish community. It is shameful to see that a leader of a party that is part of the Spanish government is dedicated to writing such things.

+ UPDATED 15:54h: Amparo Rubiales resigns as president of the PSOE in Seville, as announced by the party itself. Rubiales has presented her resignation "to settle the controversy created as a result of her tweet and after the PSOE of Seville asked her for a rectification."