Another serious antisemitic incident has taken place in Barcelona. Seven Jews from France say they were attacked for about 40 minutes while visiting the city.
“For 40 minutes, hundreds of people insulted us and spat at us,” one of the Jewish men said. According to him, members of the group were very frightened by the crowd that gathered around them.
Pro-Palestinian protest in Barcelona
(Photo: Emilio Morenatti/AP)
Jimmy Zagrone, one of the Jews who said he was attacked, told a French television network in an interview that the seven endured slurs, spitting and humiliation, and at one point feared for their safety. They fled back to the hotel where they were staying.
According to Zagrone, the incident began when the group was passing through the Barcelona port area. He said a woman wearing pro-Palestinian symbols shouted at them, and other people later joined her. At first, he said, the chants were “Free Palestine.” Later, the chants became more antisemitic, including “baby killers,” “Jews are not welcome here” and “Zionists are not welcome here.” They later shouted “Death to Israel” and chanted against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to Zagrone, within a short time, others at the scene joined in the chanting. “When she shouted ‘Free Palestine,’ she clapped, raised her hands like a fan in the stands and people answered her,” Zagrone said.
The group, he said, understood that they were in danger. Its members split up in an attempt to avoid being surrounded. “There was a huge crowd of people around us,” Zagrone said. According to him, at one point the atmosphere became threatening and frightening.
Zagrone even tried to make clear to the attackers that he was French and not Israeli. He said he did so in an effort to prevent the incident from escalating. However, he said, the harassment continued. Members of the group were insulted and spat at for dozens of minutes, and eventually fled the area and returned to their hotel.
Zagrone, who was wearing a kippah during the antisemitic incident, said some members of the group were wearing head coverings. “One was a Chabad Hasid wearing traditional Jewish clothing, a long coat and a black kippah.”