Royal Insult Echoes Persecution of Christ, Says Venezuelan Leader

Hugo Chávez is not shutting up. Venezuela's president stepped up his verbal counter-attack against the Spanish king yesterday by comparing his wounded pride to the suffering of Jesus Christ and Latin America's colonial oppression.

Three days after Juan Carlos urged Chávez to "shut up" at a summit it was the latter doing all the talking while the king retreated into silence. The "explosion" of royal disdain betrayed an enduring colonial superiority complex, the president said upon his return to Caracas. It echoed not only 500 years of imperial power and abuse, but also the persecution of Christ.

Should he accept the king's injunction to shut up, "the stones of the people of Latin America would cry out", said Chávez, paraphrasing a comment by Christ in Jerusalem shortly before his crucifixion. The Venezuelan information ministry issued press releases identifying the relevant part of the Bible.

The self-styled socialist revolutionary also suggested that Juan Carlos, whom he referred to as "Mr King", supported a coup which briefly ousted him in 2002.

At a reception in the royal palace in Madrid - Juan Carlos' first public appearance since the summit - the king made no reference to Chávez's allegations,

The spat began on Saturday at a summit in Santiago, Chile, when Chávez accused the former Spanish prime minister, José María Aznar, of being a fascist. The king interjected: "Why don't you shut up?"

The breach of protocol elicited widespread support in Spain. "At an international level, in Latin America and in the press, there has been a total expression of solidarity and support. The king has an enormous political and moral authority," said Spain's foreign minister, Miguel Ángel Moratinos.

Diplomats on both sides said the row would blow over since Spain's socialist government has generally good relations with Caracas.

But not before Chávez had his say. "But I think it's imprudent for a king to shout at a president to shut up - Mr King, we are not going to shut up," he said.