A traditional carnival ritual in Andorra has caused anger and concern after an effigy decorated in the colours of the Israeli flag and bearing a Star of David was publicly “tried,” shot and burned during local festivities. Members of the country’s small Jewish community say this is the first time Jewish symbols have been used in such a ceremony, reports YNETNews.
The incident took place on Monday in the Encamp district of Andorra, a small European principality located between France and Spain. The country is a member of the United Nations and is generally regarded as politically stable and peaceful.
During the annual Carnestoltes carnival tradition, a mock “king” is symbolically put on trial, sentenced and burned as part of the closing ritual of the celebrations. In previous years, the effigy represented fictional or satirical characters. However, this year the figure was dressed in blue and white and featured a large Star of David on its face.
Images from the event show the effigy being hanged, symbolically judged, shot — reportedly with what appeared to be an air rifle — and then set on fire. Local officials, including the mayor of Encamp and council members, were present at the ceremony.
Members of Andorra’s Jewish community, which numbers approximately 160 people, said they were deeply disturbed by the display.
Esther Pujol, a Jewish resident of Andorra, described the incident as unprecedented and unacceptable. She said that while the carnival traditionally includes satire and symbolic burning, this was the first time Jewish or Israeli symbols had been incorporated.
“This time they dressed the effigy in the colours of the Israeli flag, with a Star of David on its face,” she said. “They put it on trial, sentenced it to death and carried out the sentence by shooting and burning it. It is completely unacceptable.”
Pujol stated that she contacted the president of Andorra’s parliament, who she said expressed shock and described the incident as unacceptable. However, she also noted that municipal leaders had participated in the ceremony itself.
According to Pujol, demonstrations against Israel took place in Andorra following the October 7 Hamas attacks in Israel. However, she stressed that this carnival event marked the first time that Jewish symbols were used in what she characterised as an explicitly antisemitic display.
Other Jewish residents expressed fear that symbolic acts of this kind could encourage hostility. One Israeli-born resident living in Andorra described the event as “astonishing and disturbing,” noting that Andorra had previously been viewed as relatively free from antisemitic incidents compared to other parts of Europe.
The controversy comes amid a broader rise in antisemitic incidents across Europe since October 2023. Jewish communities in several European countries have reported increased hostility, including vandalism, intimidation and public displays targeting Jewish identity or symbols.
At the time of reporting, no formal criminal investigation had been announced. The incident has, however, prompted renewed discussion about the boundaries between political expression, satire and antisemitism, particularly when Jewish religious symbols are publicly depicted in violent or execution-style imagery.
For Andorra’s small Jewish population, the concern is not only about one carnival event, but about the potential normalisation of hostility toward Jewish identity in public spaces.
More News
