The prominent San Fermin Festival in Spain was interrupted by antisemitic activists.
By Rachel Avraham
According to a recent report published by the Combat Antisemitism Movement, “Each July, the northern Spanish city of Pamplona welcomes tens of thousands of tourists as it hosts the iconic San Fermín festival, which includes the famous “Running of the Bulls.” But this year, the festival’s opening ceremony, known as the chupinazo (fireworks), offered not a moment of civic unity, but rather political divisiveness. What should have been a joyous communal celebration became a hostile theater for antisemitic bigotry, exposing the persistent undercurrent of Jew-hatred still plaguing Spanish society more than five centuries after the start of the Inquisition.”
The Combat Antisemitism Movement continued, “On Sunday, the firework rocket signaling the beginning of the festival was launched by members of “Yala Nafarroa con Palestina,” a pro-Palestinian group chosen by public vote. Just before the chupinazo soared over the tens of thousands of revelers gathered in Plaza Consistorial, Yala Nafarroa con Palestina’s Dyna Kharrat shouted “Stop genocide” and “Free Palestine.””
According to various media reports, the activists, wearing Palestinian keffiyehs over traditional white festival attire with red sashes, waved Palestinian flags, with banners visible throughout the crowd. JFeed reported that Mayor Joseba Asiron, of the pro-independence EH Bildu party, endorsed the group’s selection, stating, “Pamplona is not alien to that reality and this solidarity rocket is a reflection of our city’s commitment to human rights.”
According to JFeed, the move sparked outrage among critics who argue it reflects a growing trend of antisemitism, with celebrities and public figures embracing pro-Palestinian rhetoric without addressing Hamas’s October 7th massacre, which slaughtered 1,200 Israelis and abducted 251. According to the report, posts on X condemned the act as “imbecilic,” accusing activists of spreading Hamas propaganda while ignoring the conflict’s complexities, including Gaza’s disputed reports of 57,000 deaths as well as Hamas threats against aid distribution to civilians.
As previously detailed by the Combat Antisemitism Movement’s Antisemitism Research Center (ARC), Spain was once home to a flourishing Jewish community, until anti-Jewish fervor exploded in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, culminating in the Inquisition and expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492: “Centuries later, under Francisco Franco’s fascist regime, Jews were once again demonized, this time through conspiratorial rhetoric linking Judaism to communism and foreign subversion through the charge of “Judeo-Bolshevism.””
Although the Combat Antisemitism Movement noted that modern-day Spain has made gestures toward reconciliation, “antisemitism persists. Surveys continue to show that Spain ranks among Europe’s most antisemitic countries in terms of public attitudes, especially regarding views of Israel. Political rhetoric often collapses distinctions between Jews and the State of Israel, opening the door for centuries-old prejudices to reappear in new forms.”
According to the Combat Antisemitism Movement, “Pamplona, located the Navarre region of Spain, is a stronghold of the Basque nationalist movement. Given this background, Pamplona’s residents have a long tradition of political activism and identification with global liberation struggles, viewing their own situation in an international context. Solidarity with the Palestinian cause is common among local political and cultural groups, as an image from Sunday’s event shows, with the Palestinian flag placed on a balcony in between two Basque flags. But that solidarity, particularly when expressed through slogans such as “Stop genocide,” often comes without necessary context or due diligence, and in the absence of any serious engagement with the issue of antisemitism.”
The Combat Antisemitism Movement stressed, “Crucially, Pamplona has no significant Jewish population today, a direct result of Spain’s historical expulsions. That absence allows antisemitic rhetoric to go largely unchallenged. Libelous accusations of Israeli genocide amplified at mass gatherings send a chilling message — that Jews are existentially evil. Such rhetoric is not new. In fact, it is merely ancient tropes repackaged in the language of 21st-century social activism. What happened in Pamplona fit into a broader emerging European phenomenon — public cultural events being repurposed to deliver messages of hate singling out Jews and Israel. Festivals like San Fermín should be spaces for celebration, unity, and cultural pride, where solidarity doesn’t come at the expense of Jewish safety. This year, Pamplona failed that test.”
Photo from Baltasar García: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festival_of_San_Ferm%C3%ADn#/media/File:Sanfermines_Vaquillas_Pamplona_05.jpg
