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A man was arrested at the Gothenburg Book Fair on Saturday after covering an Israeli flag in red paint at the Sweden-Israel Friendship Association’s booth and accusing the Jewish state of “genocide.”
His hands still red, the man can be heard on video shouting, “Israel is committing genocide.” He kept going as security guards removed him. “This is a peaceful protest and we do this for all the children being killed by Israel,” he continued. “Israel is an apartheid state. They are criminals.”
His rhetoric draws on a centuries-old antisemitic trope. The medieval blood libel falsely accused Jews of murdering Christian children. Today, that imagery is repackaged in claims portraying the Jewish state as deliberately slaughtering children. His “apartheid” accusation likewise disregards the political rights of Israel’s Arab citizens, who vote and serve in the Knesset.
Earlier in the day, a handful of demonstrators outside the fair had raised a sign reading “Death to the IDF.”
The fair had already drawn fire over the participation of Jonathan Conricus, a former IDF spokesman for international media. Egyptian poet and author Iman Mersal and Palestinian author and journalist Bissan Edwan announced their withdrawal in protest of Conricus’s appearance, Swedish media reported. Palestinian activist Taha Khatab went further, filing a police complaint against both the fair and the Sweden-Israel Friendship Association, according to public broadcaster SVT.
Israeli Ambassador to Sweden Tammy Rahamimoff-Honig said, “This attack is not only an attempt to delegitimize Israel and the friends of Israel, it is an attack on free speech and open discourse.”
David Lega, chairman of the Sweden-Israel Friendship Association and a former Gothenburg city council member for the Christian Democrats, had a direct answer for the fair’s critics. “Come to our booth. Talk to us. Ask us questions, criticize our presentations and challenge our arguments. But don’t try to silence people because you don’t like what they say,” he told SVT.
SWEDEN 🇸🇪 During a conversation about Israel with Widar Andersson, a Jew-hater threw red paint or ketchup on Swedish Jews who were attending the Gothenburg Book Fair. The activist also vandalized an Israeli flag.
The activist threatened and intimidated participants in an attempt… pic.twitter.com/PPAOmb4FSL
— End Jew Hatred (@EndJewHatred) September 26, 2026
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