Medieval Blood Libel Imagery Displayed at Stockholm Pro-Palestinian Rally
At a Stockholm protest, pro-Palestinian activists staged blood libel imagery depicting a Jewish figure killing a baby after cutting it from its mother
At an April 18 protest in Stockholm, pro-Palestine demonstrators staged a performance that critics and watchdog groups say evokes blood libel imagery. The demonstration featured a masked figure dressed as a religious Jew depicting the ritual murder of an infant. The display—which invoked medieval blood libel myths that fueled centuries of Jewish persecution—unfolded in Odenplan Square as protesters chanted “Crush Zionism.”
Israel’s Ambassador to Sweden Ziv Nevo Kulman condemned the display as a modern iteration of “the same centuries-old stereotypes and blood libels, repackaged by replacing ‘Jews’ with ‘Zionists,’” while criticizing Swedish authorities for tolerating what he called abuse of freedom of expression to promote hate. The shocking spectacle represents the latest escalation in a pattern of weekly antisemitic displays that have characterized Stockholm’s pro-Palestinian demonstrations for nearly two years.
The Display
Ynet described the figure as resembling Israeli politician Itamar Ben-Gvir and portraying the killing of a Palestinian woman and her baby; other reporting described the scene more generally as a blood-covered figure in a kippah threatening a Palestinian woman.
The blood libel—the false accusation that Jews murder children for ritual purposes—represents one of history’s most persistent and deadly antisemitic myths. The blood libel is a longstanding antisemitic myth that has historically incited anti-Jewish violence and pogroms.
The Protest Context
Demonstrators gathered at Odenplan Square to protest Israeli policies, including reported plans to annex parts of the West Bank and ongoing military operations in Lebanon. Protesters carried signs reading “Children are being killed in Gaza,” “Schools and hospitals are bombed,” and “Stop the attacks on Lebanon.”
Anadolu reported that the demonstration was organized by several civil society groups. The Palestine Solidarity Association of Stockholm also publicized an April 18 Odenplan demonstration on its calendar and claims that it repudiates antisemitism.
Pattern of Escalation
The April 18 display represents the latest in a series of increasingly extreme antisemitic performances at Stockholm demonstrations. The Combat Antisemitism Movement documented a March 2026 protest featuring a performer dressed as Benjamin Netanyahu portrayed as a butcher with a bloodied face and Nazi-style armband.
According to Ambassador Nevo Kulman’s statement, these demonstrations have occurred “week after week” for approximately two years at Odenplan Square, located more than a mile from Stockholm’s main synagogue.
Official Israeli Response
Nevo Kulman wrote on X that authorities “tolerate ‘freedom of expression’ being abused to promote hate and incitement against a national minority.” He added: “Too many bystanders say nothing. ‘It’s not their war.’ This is Europe, 2026.”
Broader Context
Sweden has seen a marked increase in antisemitic incidents following October 7, 2023, with authorities documenting a near doubling of antisemitic crimes. The weekly Stockholm protests have become a focal point for concerns about the normalization of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery under the guise of political activism.
The invocation of blood libel at a public demonstration in a European capital has raised alarm among Jewish communities and antisemitism researchers, who view it as evidence of how traditional anti-Jewish hatred is being repackaged within contemporary anti-Israel activism.
Disgusting and ugly. Does this impact tourism? This type of protest would not be tolerated in San Francisco and the Bay Area.