“Disturbed That They Are Jewish”: Israeli Tourists Expelled From Madrid Museum — Video

Three elderly Israeli women were expelled Saturday from the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid after being verbally harassed over Jewish symbols they were wearing, according to the Spanish news site Okdiario.

The women, all retirees visiting Spain as tourists, were carrying items identifying them as Jewish, including a Star of David necklace and an Israeli flag. Other visitors at the museum reacted angrily and began shouting insults, including “genocide!” and “murderers!” in Spanish, according to the report.

Instead of intervening against those shouting at the women, museum staff instructed a security guard to remove them from the premises. The guard told the group they had to leave because “some visitors were disturbed that they are Jewish,” according to video recorded at the scene.

Footage recorded by a Spanish woman accompanying the group shows a security agent, armed with a revolver at his waist, insisting that the women leave the building. The companion, a practicing Catholic and Madrid resident, is seen questioning why the guard was targeting the elderly tourists instead of those confronting them.

According to the report, no action was taken against the individuals who allegedly shouted at the women.

The guard also ordered the women to conceal the Jewish symbols, saying they could not display them publicly inside the museum. Their companion responded that displaying religious symbols or national flags is not illegal in Spain and argued that the demand constituted an abuse of authority inside an official government institution.

All three women are retirees. One is of Hungarian origin, and her family suffered Nazi persecution during the Holocaust.

“It is unacceptable for someone to suffer an episode of this caliber in official facilities of the Spanish Government without having committed any illegality,” the Spanish companion told Okdiario. She added that the women “carried totally normal Jewish symbolism, not at all offensive, just like someone wearing a football club shirt or carrying their country’s flag.”

“From the moment we arrived and they saw that they were Jewish, we were subjected to overt hostility from museum staff,” she said. “It was outrageous, intolerable.” The companion said she is considering filing a formal complaint and possibly pursuing legal action.

The Reina Sofía, one of Spain’s leading cultural institutions, operates under the authority of the Spanish Culture Ministry and is funded through the state budget. 

Under Spain’s Penal Code, racist and antisemitic incitement or harassment can carry criminal penalties, including prison sentences and fines. Article 510 criminalizes the public promotion of hatred or discrimination based on religion, ethnicity or national origin, among other categories.

At the time of publication, no official response from the museum or Spain’s Culture Ministry had been reported.