A legal challenge has moved forward following a Spanish politician’s decision to support the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel.
In February, Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau released a public letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, announcing the end of her city’s agreement of friendship and collaboration with Tel Aviv, citing “repeated violations of human rights of the Palestinian population.”
Within days, Action and Communication on the Middle East (ACOM) had filed a lawsuit in Barcelona, accusing Colau of “the alleged crimes of administrative perversion of justice and incitement to hatred” as well as citing articles in Spain’s Criminal Code requiring a private prosecution.
That suit has now been accepted by the court, prompting the opening of the demanded investigation.
In a statement, ACOM committed “to defend our democracy” and vowed “to unmask in all sectors, from the legal to the media, all actions that are taken by the antisemites who, in their false solidarity with the Palestinian people, intend to curtail the freedoms of Jews in Spain.”
