Featured image: A person doing the Nazi salute while being photograph, in front of a birthday cake with Nazi memorabilia at the Salvaje restaurant in Las Mercedes, Caracas. Photo: Ultimas Noticias.
Given the commotion caused on social media platforms by the celebration of a “Nazi birthday” in a restaurant in Caracas, Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab announced this Tuesday, October 18, that the Public Ministry (MP) has appointed a prosecutor to investigate the incident, which could clearly be considered Nazi apologia.
Saab reported that he appointed the human rights prosecutor of the 94th national circuit to investigate the incident and those who were responsible for it.
He mentioned that the organizer of the “celebration” sat in a restaurant in Las Mercedes with groceries, clothing and utensils alluding to Hitler and Nazism.
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Attorney General Saab added that these actions offend the Jewish community as well as everyone else. Those present in the celebration held on Sunday night, October 16, shared photos of the incident immediately after it happened.
Venezuela’s attorney general launches an investigation on a person celebrating his birthday with Nazi symbology in a restaurant! https://t.co/L1BYmbdBIY
— Orinoco Tribune (@OrinocoTribune) October 19, 2022
Users on social media platforms condemned the celebration of a Nazi-themed birthday that took place at the Salvaje Restaurant, located in Las Mercedes, an affluent neighborhood in Caracas.
The incident occurred in the luxury restaurant, situated in the 8th floor of The Box highrise, on Madrid street, in Baruta municipality.
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“The Nazi birthday celebrated at the Salvaje restaurant should be condemned without extenuation and euphemisms,” wrote Twitter user @sergioxxx, Sergio Monsalve, a film critic and contributor for the right wing newspaper El Nacional. “It cannot be normalized or accepted, neither as a bad taste joke, nor as anything. It is a reprehensible act, and in serious countries, it is a crime. The whole picture is pathetic.”
Images of the cake decorated with a depiction of Adolf Hitler and a graphic of the swastika, a Nazi symbol of Aryan supremacy, circulated profusely on social media platforms.
The photos also show how the birthday host posed for a picture while doing the Nazi salute, which was also condemned by social media users.
Hoy Venezuela es el país donde no dejan que una pareja gay se bese en un restaurant pero sí toleran que se celebre un cumpleaños con temática nazi.
Así de mal estamos, gente. https://t.co/NeY5Qqr1YJ
— Jesús Piñero (@jesus_pinero) October 18, 2022
After receiving strong criticism, the Salvaje restaurant management defended itself and clarified that when they realized what was going on, they removed the cake immediately. However, the organizers were not removed from the premises, which also caused some annoyance among internet users.
Voluntad Popular perdió muy rápido, el lugar para celebrar sus fiestas de aniversario… pic.twitter.com/7sm68TuvrT
— Carlos Awo Chucho (@Carl_Awo) October 18, 2022
Salvaje made the following post on its Instagram account: “When the cake entered the restaurant, it was completely covered like any other, we want to clarify that as soon as we saw what the cake was about, it was immediately removed from the table.”
They also added that they “are not participants in these actions,” and that the owners of the Salvaje restaurant themselves are Jewish and felt affected by such conduct.
“We would like to apologize to all the people who felt affected by this, to all those who saw this news, and we emphasize that we were not participants in what happened that night.”
(RedRadioVE) by Ana Perdigón
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/MF
