The Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid, one in all Spain’s high artwork museums, mentioned on Monday that it was looking for an investigation right into a extensively publicized incident involving guests who got here to the museum with Stars of David and Israeli flags.
Video of the incident went viral after being published by Okdiario, a conservative Spanish publication. Within the video, safety officers seem to name for the removing of three ladies from the museum. As they start the method of escorting the ladies out, one officer says that “some members of the general public are being bothered” by these guests.
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Okdiario reported that earlier than the incident, which the publication termed “racist harassment,” different guests had shouted phrases similar to “genocidal maniacs” at these ladies. The video, which runs almost a minute and a half, doesn’t present what preceded this incident. ARTnews couldn’t independently verify Okdiario’s account, which acknowledged that the ladies have been vacationers from Israel.
The incident was additionally coated by conservative Israeli shops similar to Ynetnews, which additionally reported that the ladies have been Israeli vacationers.
Some Israeli politicians issued statements in regards to the incident. On X, Dana Ehrlich, an Israeli ambassador to Spain, wrote, “Now we have seen how three Jewish ladies, with a Star of David and an Israeli flag, have been expelled from a museum in Madrid for carrying these symbols.” Her submit additionally acknowledged that the Israeli flag “represents hundreds of years of historical past of the Jewish individuals.”
In an X submit that has gained greater than 4,000 likes, the European Jewish Congress referred to as the incident “troubling and unacceptable.” Furthermore, the European Jewish Congress claimed that the incident “raises critical issues about discrimination inside a public cultural establishment.”
A Museo Reina Sofía spokesperson advised ARTnews that it had referred to as for the safety division to research the incident.
“Moreover,” the museum mentioned in a press release, “the Museum needs to state unequivocally its dedication to equality, non secular freedom, and nil tolerance towards any type of violence or discrimination associated to antisemitism. The Museum’s workers is extremely educated in basic rights, battle administration, and the prevention of any sort of discrimination.”
The assertion continued, “As soon as once more, we want to spotlight the significance that each Jewish artists and Jewish patrons and benefactors have had for the establishment and its Assortment—significantly inside the avant-garde actions—with out whose selfless collaboration the Museum as we all know it in the present day wouldn’t be conceivable.”
This isn’t the primary time that Israeli organizations have denounced the Museo Reina Sofía, an establishment with a wealthy assortment of recent and modern artwork that’s greatest identified for displaying Pablo Picasso’s Guernica.
In 2024, the museum confronted controversy for organizing a program of lectures and occasions referred to as “From the River to the Sea,” a reference to a slogan utilized by some protestors calling for equal rights for Palestinians. Sure Israeli officers have referred to as the slogan antisemitic. Following an outcry over the utilization of the phrase “genocidal” in this system’s description, the museum changed the name of this system to “Vital Pondering Gatherings” and apologized.
