VANDALS defaced dozens of Jewish graves at a Barcelona cemetery after an online map highlighted locations it described as ‘Zionist’ across the city.
Catalan police said on Sunday they were investigating the incident after more than 20 tombstones were pulled from the ground and smashed at Les Corts cemetery over the weekend.
It came after an interactive map called ‘Barcelonaz,’ since taken down, was posted to French online platform GoGoCart in early January.
The map, run by an anonymous group describing itself as ‘journalists, professors and students,’ listed more than 150 Barcelona businesses and institutions that it labelled as ‘Zionist.’
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The creators said their mission was to expose ‘how Zionism operates’ in Catalonia – and to publicly shame what they allege are the local financial ties and influence connected to it.
It remains unclear whether the cemetery was also listed on Barcelonaz – but a spokesperson for Spain’s Federation of Jewish Communities (FCJE) linked the desecration to the map.
In a statement, the FCJE slammed the vandals over what it described as a ‘despicable antisemitic act’ and called on the authorities to ‘show the utmost resolve in confronting antisemitism.’
The incident comes amid a period of heightened tension between Spain and Israel, with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez an outspoken critic of Israel’s actions in Palestine since the start of the Gaza war.
In May 2024, the Spanish government formally recognised the State of Palestine on the basis of the 1967 borders – a diplomatic milestone that aligned Madrid with a series of European capitals taking similar steps.
In 2025, the Spanish parliament approved a full arms embargo on Israel, prohibiting defence exports and restricting imports of equipment from settlements – moves condemned by Israeli officials as hostile.
Sanchez also declined to join a US-chaired ‘Board of Peace,’ citing the exclusion of the Palestinian authority from the initiative.
The conflict that began on 7 October 2023 was triggered by a large-scale surprise assault by Hamas and allied Palestinian armed groups into southern Israel.
Militants fired rockets and crossed into Israeli territory, killing around 1,200 people, including civilians, and abducting roughly 250 hostages into the Gaza Strip.
In response, Israel launched an extensive military campaign against the Gaza Strip, involving sustained aerial bombardment and ground operations.
According to United Nations humanitarian reporting and data compiled by independent researchers, tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed and many more wounded since the conflict began.
Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported over 67,000 deaths and nearly 170,000 injuries between October 2023 and October 2025. A significant proportion of those killed were women and children.
By mid-2025, more than 150 of the United Nations’ 193 member states had recognised the State of Palestine, reflecting a broadening global consensus on Palestinian self-determination.
Countries including the UK, France, Canada and Australia announced formal recognitions in 2025, often linked explicitly to the context of the war and renewed calls for a two-state solution.
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