Jewish officials met with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet last week to push for official government support for a bill that would modify the country’s 2012 anti-discrimination law.
“We have worked with different bodies, as a community, proving that there is a political, parliamentary and social consensus to adopt a regulatory framework of this nature,” Shai Agosin, head of the Chilean Jewish Community, told Bachelet. “Today it is gratuitous to insult a Muslim, a Jew, or an immigrant. Any minority can be violated and therefore it is a priority to have an update of the Anti-Discrimination Law, which is absolutely insufficient.”
Chile is home to some 15,000 Jews. The country is also believed to host the largest Palestinian community outside of the Arab world, with more than 300,000 members.
According an Anti-Defamation League ranking of worldwide anti-Semitic attitudes, 37 percent of Chileans harbor attitudes that could be considered Judeophobic.
In February, the country’s National Forestry Corporation director Elizabeth Munoz singled out “Israelites” over their “cultural bad behavior,” indicating that even if not permitted legally, ideally she would rather they be barred from local accommodations.
"It seems they have the culture of not obeying and going against the rules,” she said.
