UNCLAS DAKAR 001878

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

STATE FOR S/ES, DS, R, AF, NEA, AF/W AND AF/PDPA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ASEC PINS PREL CASC SG LE IS
SUBJECT: TFLE01: SWASTIKAS IN DAKAR'S MAIN SQUARE

REF: DAKAR 1857 AND PREVIOUS


1. (U) On August 3, Senegal's Lebanese community staged
another peaceful protest, erecting a memorial of sorts in
Dakar's main square, Place de l'Independence. The
memorial includes American and Israeli flags with reversed
swastikas, as well as signs saying "Israeli and American
assassins" below pictures of dead Lebanese, especially
victims of the bombing in Qana.


2. (SBU) On August 4, the Israeli Charge, acting on
instructions from Jerusalem, proposed a joint demarche.
We opted to make separate demarches to the Acting Foreign
and Interior Ministers. Both understood our revulsion,
but as of noon local time (GMT) the flags with the
swastikas were still in place.

JACOBS