A pro-Palestinian demonstration in the northern Swedish city of Umeå has sparked widespread outrage after featuring a controversial display depicting hanged mannequins dressed in striped concentration camp uniforms, complete with yellow stars and prisoner numbers, evoking imagery from the Holocaust.
The mannequins were suspended from gallows beneath a banner in Swedish that read: “Genocide is genocide is genocide.” Social media images from the protest also show a figure wearing a keffiyeh holding a baby doll, while Palestinian flags were displayed beside the gallows.
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Mannequins dressed in Holocaust-era concentration camp uniforms hang from a gallows as part of a controversial pro-Palestinian display in Umeå, Sweden, on July 19, 2025. The exhibit, which includes Palestinian flags and a banner reading 'Genocide is genocide is genocide,' drew widespread condemnation for invoking Holocaust imagery
(Photo: via social media)
The demonstration was organized by the group Umeå för Palestina (Umeå for Palestine), which initially described the display as a form of “performance art.” However, amid mounting backlash, the group removed photos and posts related to the event from its official platforms. Screenshots of the display, nonetheless, continue to circulate widely online.
Public reaction in Sweden and abroad has been deeply divided. Some interpreted the display as a provocative comparison between the war in Gaza and the Holocaust, while others condemned it as blatant antisemitism and incitement to violence against Jews.
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Swedish journalist Bitte Assarmo, writing for the conservative platform Det Goda Samhället, called the protest “pure antisemitism,” arguing that if the group had any compassion for Gaza’s residents, “they would protest Hamas, not Israel.”
Jewish-Swedish comedian and journalist Aron Flam also expressed outrage, tweeting, “This is utterly insane. Shut it down now. These are not demonstrations. They are religious rituals calling for the genocide of Jews.”
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One of the now-removed social media posts by Umeå för Palestina
(Photo: via social media)
Jewish organizations in Sweden have urged authorities to investigate whether the display constitutes criminal incitement and warned of escalating extremist rhetoric surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Swedish legal scholar Prof. Mårten Schultz told local media outlet Omni that the display could potentially violate laws against incitement. He noted that the critical factor is the use of Jewish symbols such as the Star of David and direct Holocaust references, rather than simply targeting the Israeli flag. “This isn’t just about Israel—it targets Jews as a people,” he said.