A traditional Catalan Carnival event in the Andorran parish of Encamp on Saturday, February 14-15, 2026, has exploded into an international antisemitism scandal after organizers publicly executed an effigy marked with a Star of David — the central symbol of Judaism — as part of the annual “penjada del rei Carnestoltes” (hanging of the Carnival King).
The performance, promoted by local outlet altaveuandorra (the exact Instagram post and photo you shared), featured a “solemn mass” satire called “ofici solemne per Sant Carnavalí.” Participants in clerical costumes (including figures resembling bishops and priests with crosses) staged a mock trial criticizing Andorra’s housing crisis and “international populisms,” with the effigy explicitly tied to the Israel-Gaza conflict. The puppet, dressed in Israeli flag colors and with a large Star of David painted on its face/head, was paraded, judged, sentenced to death, publicly shot at by traditional riflemen (trabucaires), hanged in the central square, and then burned before a crowd that included families and local officials.
No caricature or photo of Benjamin Netanyahu appeared — the only identifying marker was the Star of David, turning what organizers later claimed was “satire against Netanyahu and the Gaza genocide” into a direct symbolic execution of a core Jewish emblem. The effigy was later “stolen” by rival parish Arlequins de Canillo in the usual inter-town Carnival prank, but the damage was done.
Jewish Community’s Response
Andorra’s tiny Jewish community (around 150-160 people, represented by the Associació Cultural Israelita de les Valls d’Andorra — ACIVA) immediately condemned it as “indignant, pathetic, and pure antisemitism.” President Isaac Benchluch stated: “This is not parody of a politician — they are hanging the Jewish people. We are Andorran Jews, not Israelis, and this attack happened in our own country.”
The community received calls from the Israeli ambassador to France, contacted Andorran leaders, and demanded explicit public apologies from the Comissió de Festes d’Encamp and the local Comú. They called the organizers’ statement (“no intention to offend any religion or people — just political satire”) “insufficient” and “apologia of antisemitism.” Some members noted it felt like a throwback to medieval pogrom imagery.
International Condemnation
The story spread rapidly:
• The European Jewish Congress called it a “deeply disturbing act that risks normalizing antisemitism and incitement.”
• Israeli and Jewish media (Ynet, Jerusalem Post, Algemeiner, Diario Judío) labeled it a “mock execution of Israel/Judaism,” with photos of the Star of David effigy being shot and hanged going viral.
• Parallels were drawn to past European Carnival antisemitism scandals (e.g., Belgian floats in 2019, Spanish Holocaust-mocking parades in 2020).