Anti-Israel Protesters Disrupt Jewish Poet’s Book Launch in Spain

A poetry book launch by Jewish Argentine author Marcos-Ricardo Bernatene was canceled at the Santander and Cantabria book fair in Spain after hundreds of anti-Israel protesters took over the venue. The event, scheduled for last Sunday, was to feature Bernatene and his son Jimmy presenting his poetry collection. However, shortly before it began, dozens of demonstrators waving Palestinian flags and wearing keffiyehs surrounded the stage at Plaza Porticada in Santander, chanting slogans such as "This is not a war, it is genocide," forcing organizers to cancel the presentation.

The protest was organized following criticism from pro-Palestinian groups over Bernatene’s public support for Israel and his social media remarks. Bernatene is openly pro-Israel and has criticized pro-Palestinian movements. In response to videos of the disruption shared online, the Israeli Embassy in Spain condemned the incident on X, stating that "for some, freedom of expression does not include Jews," and called the harassment of a Jewish author during his lecture "antisemitism," emphasizing that culture should be a space for dialogue, not hatred.

Fair organizers acknowledged they were aware of the controversy surrounding Bernatene before the event but decided to proceed since the presentation focused on poetry, not politics, and Bernatene was not invited to discuss Israel or Palestine.