Portuguese legislators were set to meet Wednesday to discuss the possible adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Working definition of anti-Semitism after Rodrigo Sousa Castro, one of the leaders of the 1974 Portuguese Revolution, sparked a nationwide controversy with a grossly anti-Semitic tweet.
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"The Jews, as they dominate global finance, they bought and have the vaccines they wanted. It's a kind of historical revenge. And I won't say more until the Zionist bulldogs jump," the tweet said.
Castro's post drew criticism from Jewish communities and organizations, as well as Portuguese parliamentarians.
Telmo Correia, a member of Portugal's CDS People's Party, condemned Castro and called on the parliament to take action against "the worrisome rise in anti-Semitism," noting that social media was being used "to incite hatred against the Jewish people."
Catarina Ferreira, a member of Portugal's Social Democratic Party, called on the government to adopt the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism.
"The country's current definition is very broad, and we are interested in refining it," Ferreira told Israel Hayom. "As soon as we came across Castro's post, we knew we had to take action. We will certainly not tolerate hate speech in any form."
The IHRA definition says: "Anti-Semitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of anti-Semitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities."
The socialist party condemned Castro's remarks but did not call for immediate action against him.
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