MEXICO 2002-3

 

While there were no acts of violence against individuals or property, over 130 antisemitic incidents were reported in Mexico in 2002, a dramatic rise over previous years. Mexico’s universities were the center of an anti-Zionist campaign, led chiefly by left-wing activists. In April 2003, the Mexican Congress unanimously approved a federal law to prevent and eliminate all forms of discrimination, including antisemitism.

 

The Jewish Community

The Jewish Community numbers about 40,000, out of a total population of 102 million. Most Jews live in the capital Mexico City and its suburbs, while the rest are located in the cities of Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana and Cancún.

            Jewish immigrants to Mexico formed communities according to their place of origin, a way of life that has persisted until today. All the communities, together with the Jewish Sports Center, are represented in the Jewish Central Committee of Mexico (JCCM). The public opinion and analysis agency Tribuna Israelita promotes an ongoing dialogue with opinion leaders and implements joint ventures with various national organizations.

            High enrolment in Jewish day schools (more than 90 percent) and a very low rate of intermarriage (6 percent) characterize the community, which has a wide range of welfare, religious and educational services. A variety of periodicals published monthly reflect the different political, cultural and ideological trends in the community.

 

Antisemitic activities and racist groups

Despite progress toward democratization and political pluralism, and the growing strength of Mexico’s civil society, the country continues to suffer from a high crime rate. While there were no acts of violence against individuals or property, over 130 antisemitic incidents were reported in 2002, a dramatic rise over previous years. Most were in the form of e-mail threats, graffiti and anti-Zionist manifestations at anti-Israel demonstrations. Widespread, harsh criticism of Israel in the mass media and on university campuses created an atmosphere that encouraged the intensification of antisemitic/anti-Zionist activity.

 

Campus Activity

For several weeks in April 2002 the walls of buildings at the country’s leading public universities were covered with anti-Zionist graffiti. Over 20 workshops and lectures were held to analyze the situation in the Middle East, with the PLO representative and pro-Palestinian intellectuals as main speakers. However, what may have been intended as a healthy exchange of political ideas about the Middle East deteriorated at these forums into an anti-Zionist campaign, with Israel compared to Nazi Germany and attempts to delegitimize Israel and Zionism.

            Students organized fund-raising activities, including a concert for victims of “Nazi-fascist judeo-imperialism.” Most were initiated by left-wing oriented groups, which also organized most of the anti-Israeli rallies, distributed fliers and published articles in various newspapers demanding that the Mexican government sever relations with Israel. The anti-Americanism of Mexican left-wing intellectuals, such as Guillermo Almeyra, Doris Musalem and Marta Tawil, as well as of political organizations such as Socialist and Worker Unity (Unios), El Barzon, Frente Francisco Villa and the General Strike Council (CGH) of the National Autonomous University, influenced their perception of Israel, which they described as a partner of the biggest imperialist country. Anti-American/anti-Israel articles of left-wing intellectuals abroad such as Robert Fisk and Edward Said reproduced in the Mexican press also had an impact on their thinking.

           

Internet, Media and Other Propaganda

Extreme right groups such as Orgullo Criollo and Libre Opinion as well as individuals used the Internet to expound racist ideas and promote a clean and Jew-free Mexico. The web page of the Mexican representation of the Palestinian National Authority contained anti-Zionist remarks, and comments exhorting people to fight Israel and the Jews frequently appeared in its visitors’ book. At the same time, there was a marked radicalization of messages received through the web by Jewish institutions, supporting the Palestinians and accusing the Jews of exploiting the Mexican people.

                Israel’s struggle against terrorism had an adverse effect on the Jewish state’s image. Israel was portrayed as a militaristic and violent nation, insensitive to the plight of others and interested only in furthering its own expansionist aims. The language used against Israel was frequently antisemitic. For example, the largest circulation newspaper La Prensa (featuring mainly sports and crime) published an article by Lisandro Otero (21 March 2002) stating that “ultra-orthodox Israelis, followers of one of the most fundamentalist trends of Judaism supporting Sharon, are the panthers of extermination and hate.”

On 15 April Jose Antonio O’Farril Avila, editor of Novedades, one of the oldest newspapers in Mexico, published since 1939, and the English-language News, repeated the antisemitic canard claiming that Jews knew in advance about the attack on the World Trade Center. Both newspapers ceased publication in December 2002 for financial reasons.

            The extreme right magazine Surge (see, for example, ASW 2001/2) also ceased publication in March 2002 due to financial problems.

The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and The International Jew continued to be available in some bookstores, particularly where radical literature is sold. The books of Salvador Borrego, Mexico’s most prolific antisemitic writer and mentor of extreme right groups, were found in some mainstream bookstores.

Anti-Jewish graffiti, in particular swastikas, appeared in largely Jewish neighborhoods of Mexico City.

 

responses to Antisemitism and Racism

On 10 April 2003 the Mexican Congress unanimously approved a federal law to prevent and eliminate all forms of discrimination. The law specifically mentions antisemitism and xenophobia among proscribed acts of discrimination. It should be mentioned that during the session at which the bill was passed, representatives of two major political parties, Partido Revolucionario Institucional and Partido de la Revolucion Democratica, underlined the importance of specifying antisemitism. The JCCM and Tribuna Israelita took an active role in discussions about formulating the law since its conception in 1995.

A program for countering anti-Israeli attacks was developed by Tribuna Israelita, including the publication of articles in the national press, meetings with representative of the mass media and participating in interviews on radio and television. Thousands of booklets containing information to counter myths circulating in Palestinian propaganda were also prepared and distributed among university students.

As in previous years, workshops, seminars, and cultural and artistic activities regarding Judaism and Israel were organized on various university campuses. The book Judeo-Christian Dialogue and the Teachings of John Paul II, co-edited by Tribuna Israelita and the Catholic Anahuac University, was published in 2002.

An international conference on antisemitism was held in Mexico City from 30 September to 2 October 2002. Organized by the Stephen Roth Institute and Tribuna Israelita, in collaboration with the World Jewish Congress, the Anti-Defamation League, the Israeli government Coordination Forum for Countering Antisemitism, the Jewish Agency and Asociación Mexicana de Amigos de la UTA, the conference was attended by representatives of 20 countries, who discussed, inter alia, ultra-right, ultra-left and Islamic antisemitism and anti-Zionism, legislation and jurisprudence and strategies of cooperation.