Following widespread criticism for racist remarks made against the acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, at a public event in Madrid, Spain, singer Carlos Baute has pleaded for forgiveness on digital networks.
Through an audiovisual message shared online, Baute blamed the media and digital networks for generating “interpretations.”
“…they are saying that I am racist. Please, I come from a Venezuelan family, I grew up surrounded by Venezuelan folklore, drums, unity, and I have always defended its values and fought against injustice,” he expressed.
He added: “If anyone felt offended, I have no problem saying I apologize, I ask for forgiveness.”
Baute accompanied the video, which lasted one minute and forty seconds, with a text in which he reiterates, “I am not racist.” In the message, he also states that during the event, “I got carried away by the emotion of a very powerful moment… and I also know how to recognize when something wasn’t right.”
Widespread rejection
Last Saturday, April 18, the singer took to the stage to rouse the crowd by chanting the phrase “Out with the monkey!”—a slur directed at Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez.
His actions were widely condemned and denounced across various media outlets and social networks. In a statement, the Venezuelan Embassy in Spain apologized for the racist act. “This Embassy expresses its sincerest apologies to the people of Spain, who know from their own history the horror of fascism and hate crimes,” the statement read.
The statement, signed by Ambassador Gladys Gutiérrez Alvarado, stated that the use of derogatory terms—specifically calling a woman a “monkey”—represents an act of dehumanization incompatible with the minimum standards of democratic coexistence and international law, in addition to constituting “a form of political violence based on misogyny and racism.”
Various sectors of Spanish politics also expressed outrage. Manuela Bergerot, spokesperson for Más Madrid, called Baute’s remarks “intolerable” and demanded that Isabel Díaz Ayuso, president of the Community of Madrid and sponsor of the event, explicitly condemn the attack.
Meanwhile, Podemos leader Isa Serra condemned the events, stating that it was not only a racist act, but also a classist one, according to Spanish media reports.
(Diario VEA) by Yonaski Moreno
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JB/SH
