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Stockholm pro-Palestine protest uses mock Auschwitz gate with word 'Gaza' to criticize Israel

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Pro-Palestine activists in Stockholm protested by erecting a mock Auschwitz gate labeled 'Gaza' to criticize Israel's actions.
  • The protest demanded the release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a Palestinian pediatrician detained by Israel, and protection for healthcare workers.
  • The demonstration, which included a performance depicting Benjamin Netanyahu, drew criticism from Jewish community leaders for trivializing the Holocaust.

Pro-Palestine activists staged a provocative protest in central Stockholm on Saturday, featuring a mock Auschwitz gate with the word 'Gaza' replacing the infamous 'Arbeit Macht Frei' inscription. The demonstration was organized by Palestina Demonstration Stockholm to protest the detention of Palestinian pediatrician Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya by Israeli authorities.

To trivialize the Holocaust in the way that occurred at yesterday's demonstration in Stockholm is incredibly distasteful and abhorrent.

— Aaron VerstandigLawyer and Chair of the Official Council of Swedish Jewish communities, commenting on the protest.

Activists gathered to demand Abu Safiya's immediate release, along with respect for international humanitarian law and protection for all healthcare workers in conflict zones. Abu Safiya has been held in Israeli detention since September 2024. While Amnesty International calls him "arbitrarily detained," Israel states he is a Hamas colonel.

The demonstration is led by a person dressed as Netanyahu with a bloody head, an Israeli flag, and a depiction that brings to mind Nazi symbolism.

— Dr. Daniel SchatzSwedish Jewish academic, commenting on the protest's imagery.

The protest also called for the release of Marwan Barghouti and for the protection of healthcare workers in Gaza. A performance depicted Gazan mothers and babies being persecuted by a blood-covered figure of Benjamin Netanyahu, who was shown waving cash. Signs read, "Doctors are not targets; stop killing our doctors."

As with other similar incidents, no one intervened, which is why the boundaries of what is considered acceptable continue to be pushed further and further.

— Aaron VerstandigCommenting on the lack of intervention during the protest.

The use of the mock Auschwitz gate drew sharp criticism. Aaron Verstandig, Chair of the Official Council of Swedish Jewish communities, called the act "incredibly distasteful and abhorrent," lamenting that such incidents are becoming normalized. Swedish Jewish academic Dr. Daniel Schatz stated that the demonstration, including the Netanyahu depiction and Nazi symbolism, constitutes antisemitism according to the IHRA's working definition, which Sweden has adopted. He questioned why authorities did not intervene.

The IHRA's working definition of antisemitism, which Sweden has adopted, this relativization and trivialization of the Holocaust constitutes a clear example of antisemitism.

— Dr. Daniel SchatzExplaining why the protest's imagery constitutes antisemitism.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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