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Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Tuesday called Europe’s top diplomat Josep Borrell “a racist” in a blistering attack against Europe’s view of South America.
“Europe’s colonialist vision of Latin America is alive,” Maduro said during a public event on Tuesday, according to Venezuelan news outlet El Universal.
“Josep Borrell, for example, is a racist, he is a colonialist, he is a warmonger. He is a guy who supposedly comes from the left, all these people have a colonialist, contemptuous vision of ours, they look down at us,” Maduro added, without specifying what precisely he was accusing Borrell of.
The European External Action Service — the European Union’s foreign policy arm — did not immediately respond to POLITICO’s request for comment about Maduro’s remarks.
The left-wing, longtime Venezuelan leader was speaking during an event commemorating the 30th anniversary of the release of former President Hugo Chávez from the Yare prison, where he was held for two years.
Maduro’s blunt remarks come after the EU expressed concern in January about the disqualification of opposition politicians María Corina Machado and Henrique Capriles from Venezuela’s upcoming presidential election on July 28, Chávez’s birthday.
In February, the European Parliament passed a resolution calling for the release of imprisoned opposition politicians and activists and for tougher sanctions against Venezuela.
On Monday, Maduro officially announced his candidacy for reelection, seeking to extend his turbulent time in power with a third six-year term.
Since he first became president in 2013, Maduro’s leadership has been characterized by internal and international crisis, including hyperinflation which caused severe shortages of food and other basic goods. He’s also sparred with the United States due to sanctions imposed on Venezuela’s oil and gas sector and sent Venezuelan troops near the Guyana border.
