Latin American Parliament condemns anti-Semitism

The Latin American Parliament passed a declaration condemning anti-Semitism.

At its 27th General Assembly held in Panama, the Latin American Parliament on Monday approved a Declaration Against Anti-Semitism, which targets conspiracy theories evoking Jewish control of media, finance, governments; denial of the Holocaust; and delegitimization of the State of Israel as contributing factors to “the new anti-Semitism.”

Venezuela and Cuba are members of the parliament; other parliament members such as Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia are heavily influenced by Iran.

The declaration states that “the members of the Latin American Parliament view anti-Semitism as a social manifestation that damages human dignity; denounce anti-Semitism as unacceptable in any society and incompatible with democracy; condemn the use of anti-Semitism as a political instrument; urge Internet Service Providers to establish guidelines and terms of usage against incitement to hate and violence, in harmony with the legislation protecting freedom of expression; call for strengthening education to contain anti-Semitism, the oldest prejudice, and to encourage respect, tolerance and coexistence; and proclaim that acting in this spirit serves to defend the common good and society as a whole.”

Sergio Widder, the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s director for Latin America, told JTA that the declaration “is not a law but is a reference, a framework for each country.