New revelations on the vandalization of the Caracas Synagogue

Eleven persons have been arrested in Venezuela, suspected of involvement in the January 30 vandalization and desecreation of a synagogue in Caracas. Seven of the arrested belong to the Metropolitan Police (PM). Another person suspected is the person responsible for the security at the synagogue.

If the arrested indeed are guilty, it would point to that the attack was a provocation to fuel to assumption that the anti-semitism would be a motivating factor behind the stance of Venezuela against the Gaza massacre. There are several different police forces in Venezuela, and the relations between the Chavez government and some police forces have been complicated at best. The Metropolitan Police in Caracas is a bastion of counter-revolutionaries, they have violently attacked chavistas and played a role in suppressing pro-Chavez demonstrations during the 2002 coup d'état. Now the municipality is run by the U.S.-supported opposition, making the Metropolitan Police fully in control of the enemies of Chavez.

President Chavez has appealed to the Jewish community in Venezuela not to fall into the trap of being affected by provocations, recalling past provocatory attacks (by the opposition) on diplomatic missions of Spain and Colombia.

News links: DN, Aporrea, Dagbladet, Dagen12, Público