A disturbing public installation in Antalya, Turkey, that appears to revive medieval antisemitic blood libel imagery has drawn sharp condemnation from the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), which warned the incident reflects deepening radicalization and dangerous normalization of antisemitic incitement.
According to reports, the display was placed outside a school and educational center and depicted prominent figures, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump, portrayed as consuming the organs and blood of Palestinian children. The installation reportedly included dolls representing bloodied Palestinian infants positioned beneath an Israeli flag.
CAM officials said the imagery closely echoes historic antisemitic myths that falsely accused Jews of murdering children for ritual purposes, narratives that for centuries fueled violence and persecution against Jewish communities.
“In today’s reality, seeing public displays of this kind indicates a society that is sick from within at a very deep level,” CAM CEO Sacha Roytman Dratwa said in response to the incident. “The combination of all the historic antisemitic motifs into one public exhibition shows just how severe and alarming the radicalization processes in Turkey have become. The lack of response from local authorities only worsens the situation. It is time to take developments in Turkey seriously, to understand that this is a hostile environment toward Israel and Jews, and to exercise great caution in light of what is happening there.”
The installation was reportedly organized by the Anadolu Youth Association (AGD), which claimed the display was intended as political protest. However, CAM warned that the specific imagery used goes far beyond political criticism and instead mirrors classic blood libel tropes.
The organization expressed particular concern that the display was positioned in a public space near an educational institution, arguing that such placement risks further mainstreaming antisemitic narratives among younger audiences.
CAM called on Turkish authorities to publicly condemn the display, investigate those responsible, and take concrete steps to prevent similar incidents in the future.
CAM warned that failure to respond decisively risks emboldening extremist actors and contributing to the wider global surge in antisemitic rhetoric and incidents observed since the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre and the subsequent war in Gaza.
The incident comes amid heightened international scrutiny of antisemitic incitement across multiple regions, with monitoring organizations reporting elevated levels of anti-Jewish rhetoric both online and in public spaces.
CAM emphasized that political protest does not justify the resurrection of historically lethal antisemitic myths and urged international partners to treat such incidents with the seriousness they warrant.