‘Hatred and Discrimination Have No Place in Torrelodones’: CAM Welcomes First Formal Adoption of IHRA Antisemitism Definition by Spanish City

At an official ceremony on Tuesday, the city of Torrelodones, a suburb of Madrid, became the first Spanish municipality to formally adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism, a move welcomed by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM).

The adoption declaration — committing Torrelodones to combating all forms of contemporary antisemitism, as outlined by the IHRA definition’s 11 illustrative examples — was signed by Mayor Almudena Negro and President of the Jewish Community of Madrid Estrella Bengio. European Jewish Association (EJA) Public Affairs Manager Juan Caldés also participated in the event. 

Mayor Negro — who attended the CAM-organized 2025 European Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism in Paris, France last November, where the concluding joint declaration highlighted the importance of the IHRA definition — said, “The goal is to prevent history from repeating itself, stop hatred from taking root in people’s hearts, and prevent the resurgence of extremism and collectivism in Europe. If we — acting from our city councils, the front line in the battle for freedom and against hatred — do not fight this battle, the war for fraternity will be lost.”

CAM Executive Director of European Affairs Shannon Seban praised the mayor and city council for showing “principled leadership” at a time of rising antisemitism in Spain and across Europe. The IHRA definition adoption, she noted, “sent a clear and powerful message that hatred and discrimination have no place in Torrelodones and set a new standard for other municipalities to follow.”

“We commend Mayor Negro and all those involved in this landmark initiative, and we look forward to continued partnership in the city-level fight against antisemitism,” Seban added.

A major milestone in the fight against antisemitism in Spain.

Today, Torrelodones became the first municipality in Spain to formally ratify its commitment against antisemitism through the adoption of the @TheIHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism, in partnership with the…

— EJA – EIPA (@EJAssociation) June 16, 2026

As of the end of 2025, the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism had been adopted or endorsed by 1,330 entities — including international, national, region, state, and local governing authorities, civic bodies, NGOs, educational institutions, athletic leagues and clubs, and corporations — worldwide, according to a data compiled by CAM’s Antisemitism Research Center (ARC).

ANTISEMITISMO | El Ayuntamiento de Torrelodones ha adoptado la definición de antisemitismo de la #IHRA para reforzar su compromiso contra el odio.
El acuerdo lo firmó hoy la alcaldesa @almudenanegro, en el Salón de Plenos, con la @cjm_es, la @EJAssociation y el @McIntolerancia. pic.twitter.com/OmCifnElq1

— Enfoque Judío (@enfoquejudio) June 16, 2026

Read more:

European Mayors Unite in Paris to Confront Rising Antisemitism Across Continent

From Inquisition to Eurovision: Spain’s Long History of Antisemitism and the Politicization of Hate