Mexico’s Jewish community has condemned blatantly antisemitic and misogynistic graffiti targeting President Claudia Sheinbaum during a mass anti-government protest in Mexico City on Saturday, reports The Jerusalem Post.
The graffiti, sprayed on the doors of the Supreme Court, read “puta judía” (“Jewish w****”) alongside a crossed-out Star of David. The slur was widely understood as directed at Sheinbaum, Mexico’s first Jewish president, who was elected last year. The protest, led mainly by young people, centred on soaring violence, corruption and the power of drug cartels; dozens were reportedly injured and arrested.
In a statement on Sunday, the Jewish Community of Mexico condemned the attack: “The Jewish Community of Mexico strongly condemns the antisemitic remarks and expressions during the march. Antisemitism is a form of discrimination according to our constitution and must be rejected clearly and unequivocally.”
Although Sheinbaum is not publicly active within Mexico’s Jewish community, her Jewish identity has repeatedly been used by critics as a political weapon.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned the graffiti as both antisemitic and sexist: “Israel strongly condemns the antisemitic and sexist slurs directed at Mexico’s President @Claudiashein. There is no place for such attacks in political discourse. All forms of antisemitism, in any context, must be rejected unequivocally.”
Sheinbaum’s Jewish background has been invoked before by political opponents. Former Mexican President Vicente Fox previously referred to her as a “Bulgarian Jew” in an apparent attempt to delegitimise her candidacy. Although he later apologised, he repeated the insinuation when Sheinbaum briefly wore a rosary gifted to her during a campaign stop, tweeting in capital letters: “JEWISH AND FOREIGN AT THE SAME TIME.”
Sheinbaum was compelled to release her birth certificate multiple times to dispel conspiracy theories claiming she was born in Bulgaria.
The latest graffiti has renewed concern within Mexico’s Jewish community about the mainstreaming of antisemitic rhetoric in national political life.
Photo credit: Henry Romero/Reuters
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