The glorification of terrorism allowed by the Spanish Government  

Last weekend, a conference organized by the radical Palestinian organization Masar Badil took place in Madrid. 

Operating in Spain since 2021, Masar Badil has branches in Lebanon and Brazil. The organization argues that a Palestinian state must be established “from the river to the sea” and claims the right of return for Palestinians to those territories, stating that the only way to achieve this is through a “revolutionary path” focused on “resistance.”

Despite the repeated efforts of ACOM (which we will detail further below), the conference took place. And despite the clear warnings we issued, the event as a whole was a distinct glorification of terrorism, a particular celebration of the cruel attacks carried out against Israelis on October 7, 2023, by terrorists from Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist organizations, such as Islamic Jihad or the PFLP (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine).

In June, ACOM submitted a petition to the National Court requesting the suspension of this march and conference. The petition was expanded with informational annexes in July, August, and September, providing additional evidence that leaves no room for doubt and connects these organizations with the glorification of jihadism, the dehumanization and harassment of Jews, fully identifying them with the objectives and actions of Hamas and other terrorist organizations.

The Spanish government, through its Delegation in Madrid, was timely and adequately informed of the background of the organizing groups (in addition to Masar Badil, Samidoun) but evaded its responsibility to disavow these illegal acts. In fact, members of the government itself and the coalition supporting it encouraged these expressions of hatred, having participated in pro-terrorist demonstrations organized by these Palestinian terrorist-affiliated groups, during which slogans in favor of terrorism were directed at both Spanish Jews and Israelis residing in our country.

The National Court decided not to suspend the events, although it remained vigilant through security forces in case any prosecutable acts took place during the events. Because those acts and statements did occur:

“Yes, we are here to celebrate October 7!”  

“October 7 is not a dark day; it is the day of the promise of liberation.”  

“For the destruction of Israel!”  

“Long live the Palestinian, Lebanese, and Yemeni resistance!”  

“From the river to the sea, Palestine will prevail.”

• Breakdown of actions undertaken by ACOM:

Actions in the National Court

In the legal realm, numerous pieces of evidence were presented regarding the official positions of Masar Badil and Samidoun, statements from their leaders, and public connections with terrorist organizations that constitute the glorification of terrorism. 

ACOM provided evidence demonstrating a high probability that during the course of Masar Badil’s annual march and conference, criminal acts consisting of the glorification, exaltation, and justification of terrorism could occur. This was based, among other things, on the objectives of this movement; the nature of their marches held in previous years; the character and actions of the organizations and groups participating in them, which were also invited in 2024; the glorification of terrorists responsible for attacks against the Israeli-Jewish population, such as Mohammed Deif, the main “brain” behind the October 7 massacre, or Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas’s political bureau; the exaltation by Masar Badil and its members of the October 7 terrorist attack from its commission to the present date; and their statements regarding the goals of this year’s manifestation and conference—such as “commemorating the glorious October 7”; “telling the world about their achievements”; “raising the voice of ‘resistance’ (terrorism), of prisoners and martyrs (terrorists)”; and preparing for “a new stage of struggle” established by the October 7 attack, under the slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” (this last objective being part of a joint propaganda effort by Masar Badil, Hamas, PFLP, and other groups sympathetic to “armed struggle,” that is, terrorism).

Alerting about the representatives of Masar Badil

The public statements of their representatives in Spain leave no doubt about their affinity with jihadism. This includes remarks from their leader, Jaldia Abubakra, who encourages followers to draw inspiration from the Hamas massacre that resulted in 1,200 people killed in October, with victims being decapitated, tortured, burned alive, amputated, and raped, in addition to over 3,000 people injured and more than 250 kidnapped. She stated:  

“Devotion to the martyrs, the wounded, and the prisoners [referring to the terrorists who died in their own terrorist attacks (“martyrs”), the injured terrorists, and the terrorists detained in Israel and other countries—our addition] requires us to draw lessons from this historic battle.”

The MASAR BADIL movement called to “commemorate the attack” on its first anniversary:  

“We decided to commemorate the first anniversary of the ‘Deluge of Al-Aqsa’ battle before the battle ends and before the aggression ceases, to say that we trust in the victory achieved on October 7.” 

Proclaiming to an audience that exterminating 1,200 people in a single afternoon, thereby harming the sensitivity of a faith while simultaneously inciting hatred and terror, is morally reprehensible. But it is also illegal and criminal in a legal sense. 

“We are honored to announce that our next conference will be held on the first anniversary of the glorious October 7, as it is an anniversary of victory for our people and the resistance in Gaza, all of Palestine, and in the diaspora,” said Abubakra. She called on all supporters and friends of the movement to prepare for a “new stage of struggle” and to join in the organization of the conference and the international popular march in October under the slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” 

It goes without saying that this slogan seeks to deny the Jewish people the right to self-determination and calls for the expulsion of the Jewish people from their ancestral homeland. Furthermore, it can promote violence both against the State of Israel and against the Jewish community worldwide.

The organization itself makes clear in its principles the permanent exaltation of terrorism, as stated in Article 9 of the “Palestinian National Charter” from 1968: “The armed struggle is the only way to liberate Palestine.” The “liberation of Palestine,” according to the Charter, implies the elimination of Israel, as expressed in Article 15: 

“The liberation of Palestine, from an Arab perspective, is a national duty aimed at repelling the Zionist and imperialist aggression against the Arab homeland and targets the elimination of Zionism in Palestine. […] Consequently, the Arab nation must mobilize all its military, human, moral, and spiritual capacities to actively participate with the Palestinian people in the liberation of Palestine.”It must, particularly during the phase of the Palestinian armed revolution, provide and supply the Palestinian people with all possible help, material and human support, and enable them with the means and opportunities necessary to continue playing the leading role in the armed revolution until they liberate their homeland.”

This charter—and the means of armed struggle (terrorism)—is part of the objectives and foundations of Masar Badil and is considered by this organization to be unchangeable and unmovable. Thus, according to the “Foundational Document” of Masar Badil published on its platform under “Objectives” and “Fundamentals”: “Any amendment to this charter affecting total liberation and total return is considered invalid, null, and rejected.”

Masar Badil does not accept dialogue with Jews. When using the term “dialogue” in its principles, it does not refer to a dialogue with Israel but rather to an “internal dialogue” among the various “resistance factions” (terrorist groups), all of which share the goal of destroying Israel through “armed struggle” (terrorism).

For the conference and march scheduled for October 2024, numerous groups and organizations that promote an ideology identical to that of Hamas and Masar Badil have been invited. This ideology denies Israel’s right to exist and incites the use of terrorist methods (euphemistically referred to as “resistance” or “armed struggle” by these groups) to achieve the goal of replacing Israel with a Palestinian state (an action euphemistically termed “liberation of Palestine”). Registration for these events is done through the Masar Badil platform.

Regarding the entities that would host the conference, actions were taken in two areas:  

The presentations were initially set to take place at the Complutense University of Madrid. Upon learning of this, ACOM’s legal team urgently submitted an official letter to the university, warning that the event constituted a clear glorification of terrorism, organized by a terrorist-affiliated organization without legal personality, potentially exposing the university administration and/or the administrative body that authorized the meeting to criminal liability.  

The Complutense University suspended the event, correctly considering it an exaltation of Hamas terrorism.

The radicals then relocated the event to the private venue Espacio Rastro Madrid. ACOM delivered a letter to this company, reminding them of the evident glorification of terrorism and incitement to hatred endorsed by Masar Badil, which constitutes offenses as outlined in Articles 578, 510, and 515.5 of the panish Penal Code. In addition to criminal repercussions, hosting an event of this nature could result in disqualification from receiving subsidies and public assistance funded by taxpayer money (of which Espacio Rastro is a beneficiary).

The Knowledge of the Spanish Government

On the other hand, it is undeniable to recognize that the Spanish Government, having been repeatedly warned by ACOM since October 9 (on three occasions through official registration, and even under Article 122 of LAW 29/1998, which regulates Contested Administrative Jurisdiction, in the courts after appealing decisions of the Spanish Government Delegation in Madrid that authorized a demonstration openly invoking the destruction of Israel and the extermination of its citizens through terrorism), ignored all the corroborated information that had been provided through the appropriate legal and administrative channels concerning the objectives, backgrounds, and actions of the organizations convening the conference and subsequent march.

ACOM, in its commitment to defending democracy, will continue to expose in all areas, from the legal to the media, all actions carried out by terrorists and their antisemitic collaborators, who, with their false solidarity with the Palestinian people, seek to coerce, intimidate, and curtail the freedoms of Jews in Spain. This includes, as in this case, the participation of bloody killer gangs in their constant harassment of the only Jewish state in the world and the sole democracy in the Middle East.