'Feared for my life': French Jew recalls antisemitic attacks in Barcelona when leaving synagogue

A group of seven French Jewish tourists, including Jimmy Zaghroun, was subjected to a 40-minute antisemitic attack in Barcelona on July 3 after leaving a synagogue. The incident began when a woman in pro-Palestinian attire shouted "Free Palestine," quickly drawing a crowd of hundreds who surrounded, spat on, and verbally abused the group with antisemitic and anti-Israel slogans like "Baby killers" and "Jews are not wanted here." Zaghroun stated, "For 40 minutes, hundreds of people humiliated us and spat on us. We feared we would be murdered." Despite attempts to explain they were French, the mob pursued them to their hotel. Zaghroun has filed a complaint in France, and Spanish authorities are investigating what the Federation of Jewish Communities in Spain called "one of the most serious episodes of antisemitic harassment recorded in Barcelona in recent years."