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 bigotry.
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.”
Kharrar was also seen with fellow Yala Nafarroa con Palestina representatives Lidón Soriano and Eduardo Ibero holding red handkerchiefs — a traditional symbol of the festival — emblazoned with a map of “Palestine” in place of Israel.
Also in Pamplona this weekend, marchers carried a large banner reading “Destroy Israel.”
