As Twitchy told you yesterday, Univision anchor Jorge Ramos and members of his team were detained and held against their will by the Maduro regime after showing footage of starving Venezuelans digging through garbage for food. Ramos et al. were ultimately released, but not before their equipment and interview product were reportedly seized.
Univision anchor Jorge Ramos and members of his team were detained in Venezuela by socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro during an interview in which Maduro became upset after he was shown video of people picking through trash for food. H/T: @Enrique_Acevedo pic.twitter.com/feKux3FhrD
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) February 26, 2019
Well anyway, most people who aren’t heartless apologists for cruel fascist despots would look at footage of starving masses and think, “This is horrible and these people are victims of a tyrannical government.” But rapper-filmmaker Boots Riley clearly isn’t most people. Which is why he’s blaming the Venezuelans for their plight:
They are so hungry that they took two tiny little bites of the food.
Come to Oakland, we got way more homeless, hungry ppl than this.
Again, who is throwing away all that food if EVERYBODY is starving?
A guy walks by with a full bag of groceries. https://t.co/9JjNdmcbqc
— Boots Riley (@BootsRiley) February 26, 2019
WHY are they waiting for the garbage truck to come by, instead of getting it out of the trash cans where it’s easier to get to, less dirty, and you don’t risk getting your hand caught?
Theater.
— Boots Riley (@BootsRiley) February 26, 2019
Speaking of theater, that was quite a performance, Boots. It’s not just anyone who can look at a true humanitarian crisis and blame the victims for their suffering.
People tell us to separate the artist from their personal flaws, but disgraceful and shameful tweets like these show that everything has a limit…
— Jenipher Camino Gonzalez (@JennyDpenny) February 26, 2019
Its disrespectful to disrespect an obviously staged video. Ok. You have no journalistic integrity then.
— Boots Riley (@BootsRiley) February 26, 2019
And what, pray tell, would Boots know about integrity?
Oh look, everyone's favorite Marxist rapper-turned-film-director is in denial about the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. Quelle surprise. https://t.co/eDXMcTMgJC
— Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) February 26, 2019
Stupid starving Venezuelans don't know how to eat garbage properly. https://t.co/9ys4B4MbsK
— Anthony Bialy (@AnthonyBialy) February 26, 2019
Ignorant!
— Jean Drew (@ChefJeanDrew) February 26, 2019
Just come and stay in Venezuela for one day and you will regret your cruel words
— Celeste González (@celeste_kn) February 26, 2019
Thing is, even if you saw this happening with your own eyes you’d find some way to justify it to fit your worldview. You’re no better than a Flat Earther or an Anti vaxxer.
— Daniel Narváez (@dartnarvaez) February 26, 2019
If you lived here you’d know people wait for the truck to take the garbage out, otherwise it’s permanent cleaning up the mess from the hungry going through it, and also FYI no trash cans here, either too expensive or they get stolen…
— Evelyn Schwarts (@eveschwa) February 26, 2019
This is amazing. Genuinely stunning evil. What is wrong with you?
— I'd pee in her butt (@hmmyaw) February 26, 2019
Now you are just being an asshole.
— Gerard Cortez (@SoyGerardCortez) February 26, 2019
Since I'm Venezuelan and I still live in my country and have suffered all the problems Maduro's dictatorial regime has caused and come here and read stupid analysis like yours, it's hard not think about how dangerous people like YOU are to the consolidation of a better society so pic.twitter.com/3JTyEfy49v
— Alejandro (@ellimonagrio) February 26, 2019
A much more polite response than Riley deserves.
Editor’s note: This post has been updated with an additional tweet.