Vandals desecrate Jewish cemetery in Barcelona, sparking outcry

Spanish Jewish groups demand government action as investigators open probe.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

Several graves were vandalized Saturday in a Jewish cemetery in Barcelona, prompting local Jewish organizations to demand decisive government action against what they described as a dangerous rise in antisemitism.

Photos published by the Jewish community showed multiple damaged graves in the Les Cortes cemetery, with headstones and decorations broken and inscriptions smashed.

The Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain (FCJE) condemned the desecration “in the strongest terms,” calling on authorities to combat antisemitism “in all its manifestations,” identify those responsible, and prosecute them to the full extent of the law.

The Jewish Community of Barcelona (CJB) warned that the incident was part of a broader and escalating pattern.

“We have seen how, at demonstrations, online and in the streets, hate speech against Jews has become routine,” the group said, noting that antisemitic signs and posters had then proliferated throughout Barcelona, even appearing on public buildings.

“After that, a map was published marking Jewish targets, including a school – and now, the desecration of graves. This is not random,” the group stated.

“This is an escalation. From slogans to marking. From marking to threats. And from threats to action.”

Catalan police said Sunday that they had opened an investigation into the vandalism, which Mayor Jaume Collboni condemned, saying, “Hate has no place in a pluralistic and respectful Barcelona.”

Israel’s Foreign Ministry described the vandalism as a “despicable act,” stressed that antisemitism “must be firmly rejected in all societies,” and blamed what it called the Spanish government’s “anti-Israel campaign” for fueling hostility.

Spain’s left-wing government, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, has emerged as one of Israel’s harshest critics in Europe.

After the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 massacre of nearly 1,200 people in southern Israel triggered war in the Gaza Strip, Madrid repeatedly accused Israel of war crimes — claims Jerusalem rejects.

In June 2024, Spain even joined South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) alleging the commission of genocide in Gaza.

Following the Foreign Ministry’s condemnation, many commenters on its Spanish-language Facebook post justified the cemetery vandalism, arguing that Israel was “reaping hatred” for having “sown terror.”

Gonzalo de Oro, a Barcelona city councilor from the nationalist VOX party, voiced support for the Jewish community and pointed an accusing finger at the mayor, who is a member of the Catalan faction of the ruling party.

“It’s no coincidence,” he wrote on X. “The left, led by Collboni, points the finger, and the violent ones carry out the executions.”