Israeli mural artists Hodaya and Dudi Shoval flew to Barcelona last week with the clear intention of leaving their mark on antisemitic, anti-Zionist, and anti-Israeli graffiti in prominent locations throughout the city, which has recently become a popular destination for Israeli tourists.
The Shovals began their project of turning antisemitic murals into pro-Israel messages about two months ago in Amsterdam.
During their work in Barcelona, a mob gathered and attacked them, first with insults before escalating to physical violence. When the Shovals and their camera crew tried to get into their car, a glass bottle was thrown at their photographer’s head.
"We went to get into the car, and they threw a glass bottle at his head," Dudi said, describing the incident. "There were a few punches and some kicks. They wanted to get to the women who were with us to hurt them."
Dudi went on to explain how, when one of the assailants tried to attack Hodaya, his wife, she grabbed a can of spray paint and threatened to spray the paint in their eyes.
"From what I understood," he went on, "the people there were Turkish immigrants. The police arrived a minute later, and right after that, we left."
'Your works are inspiring, remind the world to choose light over darkness'
However, the harassment didn't stop once Hodaya and Dudi left the scene; it continued online even as the pair returned to Israel, but despite the online hate, the Spanish community that had invited the pair to Barcelona took to social media to thank them.
"Thank you for your bold and beautiful street art that truly fights hatred with color and unapologetic pride," the community said. "Turning antisemitic vandalism into strong pro-Israeli messages, through moving gestures and powerful murals standing against the rise of antisemitism, your works are inspiring and remind the world to choose light over darkness."
Dudi told Walla that he uses street art as a tool in the fight against pro-Palestinian propaganda and antisemitism.
"The public space in Europe is definitely a battlefield for the Israeli narrative," he said. "Barcelona is covered in pro-Palestinian slogans like 'Long live Palestine' and 'From the river to the sea.'"
"We intentionally chose the largest wall of pro-Palestinian propaganda. We need to show we have a presence and we have a voice. Abandoning the public space to pro-Palestinian graffiti and stickers leads to the spread of antisemitism, as people without a clear opinion, influenced by the dominant narrative on the street, start to believe it," Dudi continued.
"The goal of our project is to challenge that dominance and not allow the other side to draw without a response."