The Human Rights Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes and protects human rights in authoritarian states, staged a protest Aug. 2 against Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel as he led the National Children’s Symphony of Venezuela at New York’s Carnegie Hall.
The concert, long on Carnegie Hall’s calendar as part of the organization’s World Orchestra Week, drew renewed scrutiny from the Human Rights Foundation and others in the wake of Venezuela’s disputed July 28 presidential election. The United States government has rejected President Nicolás Maduro’s claim that he won the election.
A truck funded by the Human Rights Foundation was present at Carnegie Hall displaying signs that read “Maduro stole the election” and “Gustavo Dudamel, why are you silent? How long will you serve as Maduro’s puppet and henchman?”
In a statement on Instagram, the Human Rights Foundation alleged that Dudamel was “directing the Maduro regime’s top youth orchestra at Carnegie Hall in New York City.” The organization added that it would “remind the world of Maduro’s fraud and to call out Dudamel for engaging in shameless propaganda and providing cover for the Venezuelan dictator.”
Dudamel has not issued a response to the Human Rights Foundation or any statement about the disputed election. In 2017, he called for an end to violence and unrest in Venezuela and wrote an opinion piece for The New York Times calling for the country to suspend its national assembly and work toward a true democracy.
