The appearance of posters in the Faculty of Political Science and Sociology at Complutense University of Madrid, which compared Zionism to Nazism and called for the disappearance of Israel, has provoked a strong reaction from the Federation of Young Jews in Spain (FEJJE). Together with the Academic Network against Antisemitism in Universities, it has expressed its “strongest condemnation and profound sorrow” at what has occurred.
“These expressions do not constitute legitimate political criticism, but rather a false and simplistic distortion arising from ignorance and misinformation about what Zionism truly is,” states the text signed by both organisations and sent to both the faculty deanship and the university rectorate, which, to date, have not issued a public response.
The statement explains that Zionism is a historically diverse and plural movement with multiple currents, which emerged as a project of emancipation and a quest for security for the Jewish people after centuries of persecution. “Reducing it to a criminal caricature and associating it visually or rhetorically with the Nazi regime erases its historical complexity and denies its human and collective dimension,” the document emphasises.
For FEJJE and the Academic Network against Antisemitism, displaying a swastika alongside the word “Zionism” constitutes a trivialisation of the Holocaust, because—as the letter reminds—“the swastika represents the regime that persecuted, dispossessed, humiliated, deported, and ultimately murdered six million Jews.”
The association of Nazism with Zionism, they add, revictimises survivors and their descendants, turning historical victims into alleged perpetrators. The instrumentalisation of the memory of the Holocaust, they stress, is a specific form of hatred that particularly harms Jewish students present on campuses where such messages appear.
Another part of the letter focuses on posters calling for the disappearance of the State of Israel through the establishment of a single Palestinian state. “Calling for the disappearance of the Jewish state as a political entity constitutes a form of antisemitism,” they assert.
According to the signatory organisations, advocating for the elimination of the State of Israel is equivalent to denying the Jewish people’s right to self-determination and calls into question their security and existence as a national community. In this regard, they note that the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, adopted by Spain in 2020 and incorporated into the Government’s Strategic Plan against Antisemitism in 2023, clearly establishes that both the comparison of Israel to Nazism and the denial of that right constitute expressions of antisemitism.
The appearance of such messages at the Madrid university, they insist, is not legitimate political criticism but an act of demonisation and dehumanisation. For young Jews, it directly affects students and all those who identify with the history of the Jewish people.
The statement concludes with a series of demands directed at academic and administrative authorities. First, they call for the immediate removal of banners and messages equating Zionism or the State of Israel with Nazism, as well as those promoting Israel’s elimination and denying its right to exist.
Secondly, they demand that universities and public spaces ensure conditions of safety and respect for Jewish students and anyone affected by hate speech. “Universities must be forums for debate, not instruments of stigmatisation,” they emphasise.
The organisations also call for an investigation into the events, the enforcement of disciplinary regulations, and the promotion of educational measures to foster historical knowledge and informed dialogue. They further propose educational activities in schools and universities to explain rigorously what Zionism is and why reducing it to a criminal label lacks historical foundation.
“The use of genocidal symbols to attack living communities is unacceptable,” the signatories stress.
Finally, FEJJE and the Academic Network against Antisemitism in Universities make an appeal to the university community, authorities, and civil society. “Freedom of expression does not protect speech that dehumanises or revictimises vulnerable groups,” they warn.
In their view, campuses can only fulfil their purpose if they remain open, safe, and plural spaces where all students, regardless of religion, background, or identity, can develop freely.
Defending historical memory, coexistence, and mutual respect is, for the signatory organisations, a collective responsibility. Preventing universities from becoming arenas of hatred is the ultimate goal of their protest.
The letter was signed in Madrid on 24 September 2025 and sent to the deanship of the Faculty of Political Science and Sociology and the rectorate of Complutense University. To date, none of the mentioned academic authorities has responded to the complaint.
