Complete with Nazi salutes
Uproar in Argentina After Leftist Lawmakers Swear Allegiance to "Free Palestine"
Leftist deputies used their oaths of office to attack Israel and object to American actions in Venezuela. Comments spark backlash across Argentine political spectrum.
A routine swearing-in session in Argentina’s Chamber of Deputies erupted into a political and communal controversy last week after several left-wing lawmakers used their oaths of office to pledge allegiance to a “free Palestine.” The unprecedented intervention, broadcast live nationwide, drew immediate backlash from legislators across the political spectrum as well as the country’s main Jewish umbrella organization.
Among the 127 deputies taking office on December 10, at least four replaced the standard “Sí, juro” (“I swear”) with political declarations. Nicolás del Caño swore on behalf of “the boys and girls massacred in Gaza.” Néstor Pitrola, appearing with a Palestinian keffiyeh draped over his shoulders, pledged his oath “for an end to the Zionist genocide and a free Palestine.” Romina Del Plá, wearing a T-shirt featuring the watermelon symbol associated with Palestinian activism, declared her support for “Palestine’s right to exist from the river to the sea.”
Myriam Bregman, a Jewish socialist deputy, swore “against the genocide in Palestine” and added “Yankees out of Venezuela,” condemning United States policy toward Nicolás Maduro.
Lawmakers aligned with President Javier Milei’s right-wing and libertarian coalition immediately booed and shouted over the statements, arguing that an oath of office is not a platform for foreign policy advocacy. Lila Lemoine, a prominent Milei ally, told Bregman, “You must swear for your country.”
The uproar prompted widespread criticism from analysts and journalists, who accused the deputies of breaching legislative protocol. Days later, Jewish lawmaker Sabrina Ajmechet introduced a bill aimed at blocking anyone who refuses to use the standard oath from assuming their seat. “Let’s put an end to this circus,” she said, calling the deviation “problematic” and inappropriate for an oath of office.
Argentina’s Jewish umbrella, DAIA, condemned the lawmakers’ language, singling out the phrase “from the river to the sea,” which it described as a call for Israel’s destruction and an openly anti-Jewish slogan incompatible with democratic norms.
Not all deviations were pro-Palestinian. In a nod to Jewish law, Patricia Holzman, a newly elected Jewish deputy, opted to say “Sí, prometo” (“I promise”) and took her oath on a Tanakh.
Tension escalated further when left-wing lawmaker Juan Grabois made a gesture interpreted by many as a Nazi salute toward Milei. His associates later claimed he intended to mimic the three-finger salute from “The Hunger Games.”