The European Union of Jewish Students (EUJS) and the Federation of Jewish Youth in Spain (FEJJE) are calling on the Universidad Complutense de Madrid to expel a student who made shocking antisemitic remarks at a neo-Nazi march.
Isabel Medina Peralta addressed a march in honour of the pro-Nazi Blue Division in Madrid on February 13 2021, saying: “The enemy will always be the same, although with different masks: the Jew”; “For nothing could be truer than this statement: the Jew is the guilty one, the Jew is the guilty one and the Blue Division fought against it; and “Communism is a Jewish invention designed to confront workers against each other”.
“We are outraged and horrifed by the virulently antisemitic acts that took place in Madrid,” read a joint open letter by EUJS and FEJJE to the University’s dean Carlos Goyache.
“As the Movement against Intolerance and the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain (FCJE) have already stated, these acts must be condemned and the perpetrators brought to justice.”
“We know too well what happens when the force of fascism rears its ugly head. We can never again allow such ideology to be normalized or to take root within our institutions. If we want to ensure that young Jews feel welcome on campus and in our society more broadly, we must act!,” the open letter continued.
“We, young people, students, Jews, Spaniards and Europeans, fight every day for universities to be safe and inclusive, free of hate, discrimination and antisemitism. That is why we call on the Universidad Complutense de Madrid to immediately expel Isabel Medina from its student body.”
“Finally, we would like to invite all student organisations and unions to join us in promoting university spaces free from discrimination, free from hatred and free from antisemitism,” the open letter concluded.
