The town Castrillo Mota de Judíos was vandalised wit graffitis saying “stop the genocide” and Palestinian flags drawn on signs, the road, and the sign commemorating the twinning with Israel.
Mayor Lorenzo Rodríguez of Castrillo Mota de Judíos blames the Spanish government for inciting antisemitic hatred with statements like those from Yolanda Díaz advocating for breaking relations with Israel and President Sánchez’s decision to recognize Palestine as a state.
Rodríguez believes that the declaration approved today by the Council of Ministers is poorly timed, coming amid an escalation of conflict and potentially confusing the public. He suggests the government is attempting to distract from its internal issues by focusing on the Gaza war.
Since 2015, when the town changed its name from Castrillo Matajudíos to Castrillo Mota de Judíos on Rodríguez’s initiative, they have experienced up to seven antisemitic acts of vandalism and received three bomb threats in the past two months, according to the mayor, who stresses the danger of sowing seeds of hatred.
Rodríguez warns that while no one desires war, Jewish individuals unrelated to the conflict should not be intimidated. He hopes these attacks, which did not occur inside the town last night, remain isolated incidents and that pro-Palestinians avoid responding with further violence.
