A group of French Jewish tourists was reportedly chased and harassed by a crowd shouting antisemitic insults after leaving a synagogue in Barcelona — the latest incident amid a broader surge of anti-Jewish hostility and targeted violence across Spain.
The tourists, who were wearing kippahs, were walking back to their hotel through the city’s beachfront Olympic Village area following Shabbat services on Friday when a woman wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh allegedly shouted antisemitic slurs at them and repeatedly spat in their direction, according to the Federation of Jewish Communities in Spain (FCJE), the country’s main Jewish umbrella organization.
The harassment reportedly escalated as dozens of others gradually joined in, some arriving on bicycles, scooters, and motorcycles, surrounding the group and cutting off its path forward. Members of the crowd shouted, “Jews are not welcome in Barcelona,” “Baby killers,” and “Israeli genocide,” according to the victims.
The tourists said they feared an imminent physical attack, but security staff at their hotel, the Hotel Arts, reportedly prevented the group from entering.
The FCJE is now collecting evidence and urging anyone who witnessed the incident or has photos or video footage to come forward, as it reviews the possibility of filing criminal complaints.
“If confirmed, this would be one of the most serious episodes of antisemitic harassment recorded in Barcelona in recent years,” the federation said in a statement, adding that the incident “comes amid a broader escalation of antisemitic acts reported in recent months, including the desecration of the Montjuïc Jewish cemetery, graffiti and vandalism, intimidating demonstrations, and threats directed at members of the community.”
“We call on the authorities to take a firm stance against this trend,” the statement continued. “Antisemitism is not only a concern for the Jewish community, but a threat to democracy as a whole.”
Like most countries across Europe and the broader Western world, Spain has seen a rise in antisemitic incidents over the past two years, following the invasion of and massacre across southern Israel by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.
Spain stands out as one of the most extreme cases, however, with experts warning that antisemitic violence and anti-Zionist rhetoric have moved beyond a social phenomenon to being, in many instances, state-promoted and legitimized as a political tool. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and several members of his Socialist Party have come under mounting criticism from some of the country’s political and Jewish leaders, who accuse them of fueling antisemitic hostility..."
