Argentinian Court Convicts Politician Calling for the Destruction of the State of Israel as a Violation of Anti-Discrimination Law

January 4, 2025

In its decision, the court relied on an expert affidavit from the Simon Wiesenthal Center Latin America 

In a landmark decision, a criminal court in Buenos Aires has convicted a politician named Alejandro Bodart for violating Argentina’s anti-discrimination law, basing its decision on the IHRA definition of antisemitism.

In posts on the social media platform X, Bodart referred to the State of Israel as "racist and genocidal" and advocated for replacing Israel with a single Palestinian state "from the River to the Sea"—a slogan that calls for the elimination of the world’s only Jewish state. This narrative falsely frames Israel’s very existence as genocidal while proposing a real genocide against Israel’s ten million citizens.

Bodart further equated Zionism, the Jewish people’s national movement for self-determination movement, with Nazism. Dr. Ariel Gelblung, Director for Latin America at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, called the comparison "deeply perverse," explaining, "It equates a movement for self-determination with a project of racial annihilation while suggesting that the Nazis were justified in attempting to destroy the Jewish people."

The DAIA (the organization representing Argentina's Jewish community) and the City Prosecutor’s Office appealed Bodart’s initial acquittal, leading to the recent conviction. The court highlighted several key points:

• The IHRA definition of antisemitism, a part of Argentina’s legal framework since 2020, was used as the basis for defining Bodart’s actions as antisemitic.

• Bodart’s rhetoric explicitly called for the destruction of Israel and the persecution of Zionists worldwide, constituting a hate crime under the anti-discrimination laws of Argentina.

In reaching its landmark decision, the court relied on an affidavit and statements by Dr. Gelblung, Director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, Latin America.  The decision creates a significant precedent, reinforcing that freedom of expression cannot be used to justify hate speech or incitement to violence.

“This ruling incorporates the IHRA definition of antisemitism as a legal basis for interpreting Argentina's anti-discrimination laws. It draws a clear boundary against hate speech disguised as political expression,” concluded Dr. Gelblung.

For further information, please email Ariel Gelblung, Director of Simon Wiesenthal Center Latin America agelblung@wiesenthal.com, join the Center on Facebook, or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent directly to your Twitter feed. 

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is an international Jewish human rights organization. It holds consultative status at the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the Council of Europe, the OAS, and the Latin American Parliament (PARLATINO).