Jewish groups reiterate Correa 'justified' AMIA attack

Jewish organizations continued to criticize Ecuador’s president, Rafael Correa after he defended the Iranian government yesterday, comparing the 85 people killed in the 1994 AMIA attacks in Buenos Aires with the victims of “NATO bombings in Libya” in 2011.

Correa made the statements yesterday in Buenos Aires, before the Ecuadorean leader was recognized with the Rodolfo Walsh award, given to him by La Plata University, a prize previously awarded to Venezuela President Hugo Chavez and Bolivia President Evo Morales.

The Simon Wiesenthal Centre, a global Jewish human rights organization that confronts anti-Semitism, accused today Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa of “justifying” the terrorist attack on the AMIA Jewish community centre which killed 85 people in 1994.

“Correa’s disdainful words against the victims of the terrorist attack sponsored by Iran, speaks for itself.

“By engaging in an anti-imperialist demagogue speech, he has justified a massacre that took place in Buenos Aires,” Shimon Samuels said, international relations director for the organization.

Similarly, the head of the DAIA Jewish community umbrella organization also showed their “regret” for the comments made by the Ecuadorian leader. The president of the organization Julio Schlosser said that the statements were “unfortunate” and remarked that the Argentine government should make a public declaration over the situation.