The data in the ministry’s report, which relies strictly on police records, are significantly lower than those published by the Observatorio de Antisemitismo en España, a watchdog on antisemitism established by the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain.
By EJP staff
Anti-Semitism has surged by 86% in Spain, according to a report published by the Ministry of the Interior.
The report reveals that Spain has reached a record high in hate crimes, with a 23.6% increase in 2025, totaling 2,417 criminal offenses.
This is the highest figure on record since tracking of such incidents began in 2014.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said in a video posted on Facebook that his office documented 2 417 total hate incidents last year, the highest figure since it began recording in 2014. Spain is home to about 70 000 Jews, according to the Federation of Jewish Communities (FCJE) of Spain.
The data in the ministry’s report, which relies strictly on police records, are significantly lower than those published by the Observatorio de Antisemitismo en España, a watchdog on antisemitism established by the FCJE.
The Observatorio has not released its 2025 report yet, but a Tel Aviv University report from April said it had documented 207 cases. The 2024 and 2023 Observatorio tallies were 60 and 34, respectively.
The Observatorio reports include testimonies and cases documented independently, in keeping with the practices of counterparts worldwide;
According to the ministry’s methodology, antisemitic incidents accounted for 7% of 934 cases classified as “xenophobic” in 2025. Spain’s estimated 40,000 Jews constitute about 0.1% of the country’s population.
Spain is one of the most hostile country in the EU towards Israel. It joined three European Union member countries that have intervened in South Africa’s 2023 lawsuit against Israel for its alleged genocide in Gaza, widely understood as an endorsement of the suit.
Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, last year called Israel a “genocidal state.” Jerusalem has accused Madrid of fomenting antisemitic hatred with its anti-Israel policies.
One of the main trends highlighted by the Observatorio report is the transformation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas into a focal point of hostility toward Jews.
Israel as a center of hostility and hatred
The document argues that during 2025, Israel became “the center of hostility and hatred,” with that animosity extending to Jewish individuals and communities, as well as to citizens and entities associated with Israel.
The Observatory identified as particularly concerning the use of calls for Israel’s destruction as a form of public expression. The report considers that denying the Jewish people the right to self-determination in their homeland constitutes, according to the IHRA’s working definition, a form of antisemitism when it involves systematic delegitimization.
In this context, the document points to an increase in the use of terms such as “Zionist” and “genocidal” as dehumanizing labels or insults, as well as the application of a “double standard” to Israel compared to other states.
“The systematic delegitimization of the Jewish people’s right to national existence constitutes a form of discrimination, in accordance with the IHRA statement, that goes beyond legitimate criticism of specific policies,” the report states.
Another notable trend is the legitimization or glorification of terrorism and the portrayal of organizations such as Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, or the Houthis as legitimate actors or simply as “resistance” movements. According to the document, this type of discourse contributes to creating a climate of hostility that transcends the political conflict and ultimately directly affects Jewish people.
The report devotes special attention to what it calls the “obligation to take a stance on the conflict.” In academic, cultural, and professional circles, situations have reportedly arisen in which people were pressured to speak out publicly about Israel as a condition for being accepted, participating in certain activities, or maintaining their membership in a group.
According to the Observatory, this dynamic generates pressure, exclusion, and the singling out of Jewish people or those perceived as such, and amounts to shifting the political conflict into the realm of personal and professional relationships.
The phenomenon has also reportedly spread to boycott and exclusion campaigns directed against Israel in various spheres. The document specifically mentions the sports, cultural, educational, healthcare, and professional sectors, where some initiatives have reportedly shifted from political criticism to dynamics of stigmatization and exclusion.
Two events receive special attention: the Vuelta a España and the Eurovision Song Contest. In the case of the Vuelta, the report describes the incidents that occurred during the race and the pressure to expel the Israel-Premier Tech team as unprecedented. The cancellation of a stage is presented as an example of just how far, according to the Observatory, pressure from radicalized groups can go.
In the cultural sphere, the report questions RTVE’s decision in 2026 not to participate in Eurovision in response to Israel’s presence and, in particular, the campaign aimed at getting other European public broadcasters to take similar measures.
Social media emerges as another major amplifier of the phenomenon. The Observatory warns that X, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, and other platforms facilitate the spread of anti-Semitic messages, conspiracy theories, disinformation, and calls for exclusion or violence.
Enfoque Judio contributed to this report.