Anti-Israel activists replace Israeli flag with Palestinian flag at Spanish fencing tournament

 Anti-Israel activists replaced the Israeli flag with the Palestinian Authority flag on Monday during an international fencing competition in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. It took several hours before the flag switch was discovered. The local organizers alerted police, but the perpetrators were not found despite the fact that the anti-Israel act was filmed and later shared on social media. 

“It’s very sad that this is what we had to deal with instead of focusing on the competition,” an Israel Fencing Association spokesperson announced. “Police were called, and the organizers quickly restored our flag. Unfortunately, the perpetrators were not identified. It's deeply upsetting."

The Israel Fencing Association CEO Irina Tal condemned the sabotage act as antisemitism. 

“It’s unfortunate that young athletes had to endure an antisemitic experience during an international competition,” Tal stated. 

“These athletes are just 17 to 22 years old—they shouldn't have to go through this. We come here for sport. There’s no place for antisemitism, political expression or acts like this in sports competitions,” she stressed.

Spain has a long history of antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment. Anti-Jewish incidents have increased dramatically since the Hamas Oct. 7, 2023 massacre and invasion of Israel.

In August, anti-Israel activists blocked the path for Israeli cyclists at the Vuelta a España multi-stage road race in Spain. The Israeli cycling team blasted the anti-Israel act, stressing that it “absolutely condemns the dangerous acts of the protesters on stage 5 of the Vuelta a España, which not only compromised the safety of our riders, race personnel, but the protesters themselves.”

The current Spanish socialist government has emerged as one of Israel's harshest critics in the Western world. Madrid has been very critical of Israel’s military self-defense operations against the terrorist militia Hamas, which openly calls for Israel’s destruction and the murder of all Jews worldwide. 

In May, the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez became the first leading Western leader to describe Israel as “a genocidal state.”

“I’ll clarify one thing, Mr. Rufián,” Sánchez said during a debate in the Spanish parliament, “We don’t trade with a genocidal state. We don’t. I believe I explained from this platform the other day what we’re talking about, when some statements were made that weren’t true."

The Spanish government threatened in early September to impose a full arms embargo on Israel and considered banning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from visiting Spain.

Last year, Spain joined Ireland and Norway in unilaterally recognizing a “Palestinian state” despite strong opposition from Israel and the United States. Washington and Jerusalem both warned that such a diplomatic move constituted a reward for Hamas’ terrorism, and the massacre of 1,200 Israelis and kidnapping of 251 people during the Oct. 7 attack in 2023. 

“This is a historic decision that has a single goal, and that is to help Israelis and Palestinians achieve peace,” Sánchez stated at the time, arguing that Spain’s diplomatic move was not “against anyone, least of all against Israel, a friendly people whom we respect, whom we appreciate and with whom we want to have the best possible relationship.”

However, the Spanish prime minister’s claim was contradicted by the Spanish Second Deputy Prime Minister, Yolanda Diaz who used the slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” in a video clip on social media. The slogan, which has become popular at anti-Israel rallies worldwide, is widely perceived as a call for the Jewish state’s destruction. 

Israel’s then foreign minister Israel Katz condemned Spain and especially Diaz. 

“Khamenei, Sinwar and the Vice Premier of Spain Yolanda Diaz call for the disappearance of the State of Israel and the establishment of a Palestinian Islamic terrorist state from the river to the sea,” Katz wrote in a post on 𝕏.