The Israeli community of Lisbon is against the exhibition of cartoons in Gaia: “It simplifies the Holocaust. She demonizes the Jews.”

The Israeli Community of Lisbon (CIL) felt on Tuesday that Onofre Varela’s “caricature” displayed at the Gaia International Art Biennale “banalizes the Holocaust perpetrated by the Nazi regime and demonizes the Jews in their relationship with Palestine.”

In a letter addressed to the mayor of Vila Nova de Gaia, Eduardo Vitor Rodríguez (PS), and published on his official Facebook page, the CIL states that “The Star of David superimposed on the heart of a painted image of Hitler is a serious crime.” and indecent.”

“We are against censorship, but the right to freedom of expression must and can be stopped when it encourages hatred and intolerance. The imagery in question is outrageous and downplays the horror and tragedy of the Holocaust. Hitler did not accuse the Jews of “disrespect”. as the text of the Caricature says, treated the Jews with mass extermination and boundless inhumanity,” this community defends.

In this sense, the CIL calls on the Council of Vila Nova de Gaia in Porto District to “show solidarity” with this position, express its dissatisfaction and, “if necessary”, withdraw “taxpayer-funded public support”. an initiative that “under the guise of art desecrates the memory of millions of victims who fell at the hands of a bloody, bloodthirsty and merciless regime.”

The CIL also states that the Portuguese state “at any level – national, regional or local – cannot, under any circumstances, allow or tolerate the relativization of the Holocaust.”

“Freedom of creativity and self-expression, as well as political freedom, ends when it gives way to hatred and ethnic intolerance. This is what we hope the municipality of Gaia will very clearly convey to the organization of this initiative that it supports and sponsors,” this community urges.

When asked by the Lusa agency, the municipality of Gaia replied that “it is not involved in and is not responsible for the artistic direction and curation of the Biennale”, adding that “any clarifications must be made by the cooperative Artistas de Gaia”, the organizer of the event. .

In a reply to Luce, the director of the Gaia International Art Biennale, Agostinho Santos, emphasizes that the event “is seen as a biennale of causes” and, in this sense, “seeks to give every artist the freedom to express their thoughts.” vision of the world regardless of expressed individual orientations.

“The work of the famous cartoonist Onofre Varela addresses Israel from its point of view and was already published several years ago in the media. Their freedom of expression is limited,” emphasizes Agostinho Santos.

“On the eve of the April 25 celebrations,” the Bienal Internacional de Arte Gaia intensifies the fight “for freedom of expression, even if the message is not agreed.”

In a statement released on Tuesday, the CIL also mentions that “comparing the foreign policy of the State of Israel towards Palestine to what Hitler did to the Jews is not an ounce of decency.”

“This is a comparison of the incomparable. Satire and humor can and should serve to strengthen opinions and political positions. Cause controversy, encourage reflection and action. primary anti-Semitism that cannot be tolerated, let alone supported and sponsored,” defends CIL.

According to the organization, the 5th Gaia International Art Biennale, which began on April 8 and runs until July 8, “will bring together 20 exhibitions at the Quinta da Fiação in Leverë, bringing together more than 300 artists of different nationalities. conscience at the Biennale of Causes, which this year honors Carlos Carreiro and Joao Jacinto.

Under the direction of Agostinho Santos and with the support of the City Council of Vila Nova de Gaia, the Gaia International Art Biennale reinforces, the organization adds, “decentralization in terms of the restoration of the industrial zones occupying the two pavilions of the former Companhia de Fiação de Crests over 6,000. square meters of exhibition space.