Spain rejects Israel’s accusations of alleged antisemitism following pro-Palestinian demonstrations

Spain is a country of tolerance where antisemitism has no place, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said on Monday (7 October), responding to Israel's accusations following pro-Palesitinian demonstrations in Madrid on Sunday.  

Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Sunday expressing outrage and sadness over Spain's reaction to pro-Palestine demonstrations in Madrid organised by the Masar Badil movement, among others.

The movement, also known as the Palestinian Alternative Revolutionary Path Movement, was founded in Madrid, Beirut and Sao Paulo in 2021. Israel considers it to be linked to terrorist groups such as Hamas.

“It is unacceptable for a democratic society to allow the advocacy of terrorism and the celebration of crimes against humanity perpetrated by Hamas,” the Israeli statement reads.

In response, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares (PSOE/S&D) defended Spain as a country of tolerance. 

In Spain, "one has freedom of expression, and any form of incitement to hatred, including antisemitism, is not only widely rejected, but enshrined in the penal code," Albares told Spanish public broadcaster RTVE. 

Albares also made it very clear that Spain rejects the "brutal terrorist attack by Hamas” while criticising Israel's military response. 

He reiterated that Spain's official position is for the war to end, describing it as a horrible conflict that is claiming thousands of innocent lives, first among Palestinians in Gaza and now in Lebanon.

"We have condemned all this, and we condemn it once again," the minister added.

This diplomatic row comes as Spain and Israel's relations have deteriorated following Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's announcement last May of the country's recognition of the Palestinian state (along with Norway and Ireland).  

[Edited by Martina Monti]