‘Festival of hate’: Holocaust trivialization, anti-Israel event planned at Spanish parliament

 “This is a festival of hate, and not a pro-Palestinian event by any measure.”

By Adina Katz, World Israel News

Speakers with a history of downplaying the Holocaust, promoting hatred against the Jewish State and normalizing antisemitism are slated to be featured at an upcoming event at the Spanish parliament hosted by a far-left, Communist political party, according to a watchdog NGO.

The Action and Communication on the Middle East (ACOM), which is focused on combating antisemitism and strengthening the bonds between Spain and Israel, released a public statement about the program, which is set to take place on November 15th.

Two of the speakers at the event — titled “Memorial Day for the Palestinian people: Antisemitism as an excuse to avoid solidarity” — include Eitan Bronshtein, founder of the far-left Zochrot organization in Israel, and Yonatan Shapira, an ex-IDF soldier.

In a promotional video for his NGO, Bronshtein appeared next to an actress who said that the Holocaust was the best thing to happen to the Jewish people, insinuating that the tragedy serves as an excuse to cover up allegeed modern-day Israeli war crimes and human rights violations.

Shapira spray-painted “Free Palestine and Gaza” on the walls of the Warsaw Ghetto in Poland, a crime for which he was arrested.

The Secretary General of the Spanish Communist Party, Enrique Santiago, and the deputy spokesperson of the far-Left Podemos Party in the Spanish parliament, Lucía Muñoz, are organizing the event, according to a statement from ACOM.

“This event is nothing but an exercise in spreading hatred and slander against the State of Israel and the Jewish People, and belittling the Holocaust, even though it slyly tries to add that it also is about fighting antisemitism,” President of ACOM Angel Mas said in a public statement.

“The scheduled speakers have trivialized the Holocaust, offended survivors, and have a long and sordid history of defaming the Jewish People. This is a festival of hate, and not a pro-Palestinian event by any measure.

“That this is happening in the Spanish Parliament is a stain on its reputation, and all fair-minded people should be working to ensure that the event does not take place, because it will start with hatred and lead to incitement,” Mas added.

“This has nothing to do with solidarity with the Palestinians, because it does nothing to push forward the cause of peace. It was clearly designed for one cause, and that is to offend and spread hatred against Jews.”

AntisemitismCommunismEuropean Jewsradical leftSpain