Barcelona hosts an event by Samidoun, designated as a terrorist organisation by the US and Canada

Barcelona's University Square hosts a gathering called by Samidoun this afternoon, an organisation designated as terrorist by the United States and Canada. Vox demands explanations from the government of Jaume Collboni for allowing the event.

This afternoon, University Square in Barcelona will be the scene of a gathering called by Samidoun, coinciding with the third anniversary of the attacks on October 7, 2023 against Israel. The call has provoked criticism from Vox in the Barcelona City Council, which is asking the government of Jaume Collboni to clarify the conditions under which the event has been authorised.

Samidoun is an international network founded in 2011 that defines itself as a solidarity organisation for Palestinian prisoners. Its links with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) have led several governments to take action against it.

Canada included it in its list of terrorist entities in October 2024. The United States designated it as a global terrorist organisation that same year, and Germany banned its activities in November 2023. The PFLP is also listed as a terrorist organisation by the United States, Canada, and the European Union.

This afternoon's gathering uses the slogan “Tufan al-Aqsa”, the name given by Hamas to the attacks on October 7, 2023, in which around 1,200 people died and 251 were kidnapped.

The president of the municipal group of Vox, Gonzalo de Oro, has demanded that the mayor explain what role the City Council has played in the authorisation or allocation of the space and what controls have been applied.

“Barcelona must be a city that unequivocally condemns terrorism and not a place where the anniversary of a massacre can be celebrated,” says De Oro.

The party also calls on the relevant administrations to ensure that no instances of glorification or legitimisation of terrorism occur during the gathering. Vox reminds that freedom of expression and assembly is subject to the legal framework and demands clarification on the specific conditions under which the gathering has been allowed.

The gathering is scheduled for this afternoon in University Square, in the centre of Barcelona. The City Council has not yet commented on Vox's criticisms or on the control measures planned for the event.