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World Jewish News
Anti-Semitic demonstration erupts in Buenos Aires
17.05.2009
A violent anti-Semitic demonstration erupted in downtown Buenos Aires during a public celebration of Israel's 61st anniversary.
On late Sunday afternoon, shortly after Jewish families and their non-Jewish neighbors began Independence Day celebrations at a "Buenos Aires Celebrates" event, a radical group of about 20 people came out of a subway depot with anti-Semitic banners and signs and began a violent protest.
"In the middle of the cultural festival, the group attacked with complete impunity. Five police officers who were standing in a corner took a long time before acting. Two people from the public were hurt as well as a policeman. Many of the aggressors ran away but five of them were caught by the policemen and others from the public who chased them," Aldo Donzis, the DAIA Jewish local political umbrella institution president, told JTA.
DAIA will take legal action against the five aggressors. "It was really a very violent act," said Donzis.
As part of a Buenos Aires city government celebration, the Israeli festival was held Sunday afternoon one block away from Plaza de Mayo. The Israeli festival is part of a series of events "celebrating Buenos Aires' diversity and the pluralism that builds our identity," Claudio Avruj, the head of city's Institutional Relations General Direction office, told JTA. A Greek Festival was held in March and a Russian celebration is planned for June.
The commotion lasted a few minutes and the celebration – which included Israeli music, poetry, crafts and dance - continued as scheduled. According to the organizers, some 4,000 people participated. "People stayed and redoubled the will to celebrate," said Avruj.
Источник: JTA
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