Venezuela's UN ambassador and guest confronted and reportedly bitten at Brooklyn steakhouse
NEW YORK (AP) - A diner at one of New York's best-known steakhouses was bitten on the arm during a protest against the socialist government of Venezuela.
El Nuevo Herald reports that a woman was assaulted at Peter Luger Steak House in the South Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn on Sunday while she was dining with the Venezuelan representative to the United Nations, Rafael Ramirez.
Ramirez was approached by two activists, man and woman, who called him a "murderer" in Spanish, referring to the recent period of protests in Venezuela have have lasted more than 100 days and led to the deaths of over 90 people.
Later in the video, a woman can be shouting that someone tried to bite her and then saying, according to El Nuevo Herald, "we are calling the police. They are going to lock you up because he is a diplomat."
Ramirez later tweeted about the incident, naming the activists and sharing pictures of them.
"They think they are in Chacao," Ramrize tweeted, referring to a Caracas neighborhood that is frequently the site of anti-government protests.
The incident is the latest in a campaign to shame current and former Venezuelan government officials. While some have expressed solidarity with Ramirez, others have heaped criticism on the former chief of Venezuela's state oil company, PDVSA, from 2004 to 2014.
The cheapest dishes at Peter Lugar Steak House, according to El Nuevo Herald, run $50 to $60 - around a million bolivars, the Venezuelan currency that has seen intense inflation in recent years.
The protesters blame the government of President Nicolas Maduro for violent clashes that have killed dozens. Maduro has denounced the attacks as violent and undemocratic. Other former Venezuelan officials confronted outside the country include Eugenio Vasquez Orellana, the former minister of Banca Publica, in Miami, and Maripili Hernandez, the former Communication and Information minister, in Spain.
Police say the steakhouse confrontation is under investigation. The woman who was bitten declined medical treatment. You can see a video of the incident below.