SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTRE-EUROPE
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"Zapata, due to serve as officer for Culture and Sport tweets " How does one fit 5 million Jews in a [SEAT] 600 car ?... In the ashtray!
Paris
In a letter to Madrid Mayor, Manuela Carmena Castrillo, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre Director for International Relations, Dr. Shimon Samuels, noted that she "was elected on 24 May 2015 on theleft-wing factor 'Ahora Madrid'
(Madrid Now) and the 'Podemos' (We Can) protest movement."
Samuels pointed to one of her city councillors, also of 'Ahora Madrid', "Guilermo Zapata, who was due to serve as officer for Culture and Sport, but outrageously tweeted: 'How does one fit 5million Jews into a [SEAT] 600 car? ... In the ashtray!'
The letter added, "Zappata has, apparently claimed that he is not an anti-Semite but 'a defender of Jewish culture', while justifying himself on grounds of his 'black cruel sense ofhumour'. After several reported examples of recent such remorselessness, no apology can be acceptable."
The Centre cited "a leader of 'Podemos', Juan Carlos Monedero, who allegedly retorted that Zapata made 'unfortunate comments taken out of context'."
Samuels also quoted the defeated center-right Partido Popular mayoral candidate, Esperanza Aguirre, who called on Mayor Carmera to 'expel Zapata from your City Council lest you become complicitin his ravings'.”
The letter featured a poll by the daily, La Vanguardia, asking " 'Do you believe that (Mayor) Carmena should fire Zapata for his political tweets...?' showed 88% in favour."
Samuels viewed this figure as "an encouraging sign that public opinion may realize that the language of fascism and anti-Semitism threaten the integrity of Spain... Otherwise, the newParliamentary law granting citizenship to Sefardic Jews as “mea culpa” for their expulsion in 1492 would have been seriously compromised."
"Madam Mayor, words are inadequate. Our Centre calls for your resignation - together with Zapata and Monedero - to purge 'Ahora Madrid' and 'Podemos' of the pestilence of hate," concludedSamuels.
For further information please contact Shimon Samuels 00 336 09 77 01 58, join the Center on Facebook, www.facebook.com/simonwiesenthalcenter, or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent direct to your Twitter feed.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agenciesincluding the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).