The Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain (FCJE) condemned online allegations linking Israel to the Oct. 28 train collision, saying the claims damage Spain’s Jewish community.
Two high-speed trains collided near Urda, in Toledo province. Castilla-La Mancha’s government said Nov. 1 that 69 people had died. It reported that 110 people had been admitted to hospitals in the region, with 31 still hospitalized, including 13 in intensive care. The official emergency page recorded 68 deaths on Oct. 28, before the toll reached 69 the following day. EconoTimes previously reported that long jumper Julieta Gallego was among those killed in the collision.
“These conspiracy theories damage the Spanish Jewish community,” the FCJE said. The federation urged the public to dismiss the allegations and let investigators establish the facts.
The FCJE also said that blaming a whole country for the world’s problems amounts to antisemitism under the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition. Spain is an IHRA member. The federation said similar theories appeared after migrants entered Ceuta last July and recalled historical accusations against Jews over disease and economic crises.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Oct. 28 that authorities were working to determine what caused the collision. He said the inquiry would assess whether negligence or safety-system failures were involved. Sánchez also said the government’s priorities included supporting victims’ families while establishing what happened.
RTVE’s fact-checking unit reported on Oct. 28 that authorities had not identified sabotage or an attack as the cause by the time of its report. It also said a viral claim that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had threatened Spain with train accidents misrepresented his April 10 remarks.
