Jewish graves desecrated in Barcelona cemetery

Vandals desecrated a number of Jewish graves in a Barcelona cemetery this weekend, Spanish police say, provoking outrage from Jewish groups and politicians.

Spain’s Jewish community reported Saturday’s incident in the Jewish section of Les Corts graveyard in Barcelona.

“We are aware of the incident and have opened an investigation,” a Catalan police spokesperson says, without specifying how many graves were defaced. But a spokesperson for Spain’s Federation of Jewish Communities (FCJE) tells AFP that more than 20 graves were desecrated.

We strongly condemn the vandalism of Jewish graves in a cemetery in Barcelona.

What we are seeing is not isolated. It is part of a wider escalation that begins with words, continues with targeting and intimidation and ends in acts like this. When hate is normalized in public… pic.twitter.com/f3KLVIkGvO

— European Jewish Congress (@eurojewcong) January 25, 2026

In a statement, the FCJE condemns the “despicable antisemitic act,” calling on the authorities to “show the utmost resolve in confronting antisemitism.”

It links the incident to a map — created by pro-Palestinian activists and since removed from the internet — that marks Jewish or Israeli-linked places and businesses in Barcelona.

“With these events, the level of antisemitism takes an alarming leap, moving from words to actions, from incitement to direct attack,” says the FCJE.

Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni denounces the incident in a statement on social media, adding that the authorities are “working to identify those responsible.”