Representative of Jews in Peru responds to Aníbal Torres and his phrase of Hitler: “Couldn't you mention the Incas and their huge road network?”

Peru's Prime Minister Aníbal Torres said Thursday that Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler made Germany “the first economic power in the world” by developing communications and infrastructure in his country.

At the start of the Fourth Decentralized Council of Ministers, which is taking place this Thursday in the Andean city of Huancayo, Torres referred to Hitler and the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini to exemplify the importance of infrastructure works.

“Italy, Germany, were just like us, but once Adolf Hitler visits northern Italy, and Mussolini shows him a motorway built from Milan to Brescia. Hitler saw that, he went to his country and filled it with motorways, airports, and made Germany the world's first economic power,” he said.

In this regard, several institutions spoke out. Among them, the Jewish Association of Peru, which firmly rejected what Torres said. Jack Falkon, a representative of the association, commented on Epicentro TV that the Prime Minister's expressions are terrible and outrageous not only for the Jewish community but for all Peruvians. “Can't we find another example other than Hitler? We are the land of the Inca Trails. Couldn't one mention the Incas and their huge road network?” , he refers.

He adds that many people forget or don't know what happened to the Jews. And what worries him most is that a child who doesn't know history, hears the premier praise Hitler, and that stays in his mind and ends up convinced that Hitler is a role model. That is why expressions are dangerous, he said.

“The explanations and half apologies are not conclusive, when you make such a big mistake you must apologize with all the letters and try to repair your mistake. Especially when you are prime minister and you don't represent yourself, but all Peruvians,” Falkon said.

He stressed that the Jewish community in Peru is very small, with just under 2,300 people. It is one of the smallest communities in Latin America, behind only Bolivia, Ecuador and Paraguay. Even so, they participate in political, journalistic and business activities, “we are very active and proud to be Peruvian”.

On the possibility of forgiving Torres, Falkon said that every Peruvian must decide if and how to turn the page. “I'm nobody to tell you that. To the extent that the prime minister makes an act of contriction and tries to correct his mistake, it would be an important first step.” He assured that they expect a sincere answer.

LATER APOLOGIES

The head of the Cabinet of Ministers apologized to the Israeli ambassador to Peru, stating that at no time did he want to exalt the figure of Adolf Hitler, who he reiterated was a criminal.

“We must not misunderstand things, I am not taking Hitler as an example to follow, because I have also said that he was a great criminal. Mr. Ambassador of Israel, if you think I have offended you, I apologize, we will talk personally,” he said.

Let us recall that the prime minister had already referred to Hitler on March 18, when compared with former President Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000) following the decision taken by the Constitutional Court (TC) to restore the pardon he received from the former ruler in 2017, a measure that has been paralyzed by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (Inter-American Court).

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