Barcelona BDS group says Europe is ‘responsible’ for terror attack
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Barcelona BDS group says Europe is ‘responsible’ for terror attack

Catalonia branch of movement to boycott Israel appears to suggest that European policies abroad leads to terrorism at home

Catalonia’s branch of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel suggested that European governments are “responsible” for a terrorist attack in the Barcelona area.

BDS Catalonia made the accusation on Friday, a day after the Islamic State terrorist group said its militants killed in the Spanish region 14 people and wounded another 100 in two incidents in and near its capital, Barcelona.

Following a paragraph that states that BDS Catalonia “wishes to condemn the attacks committed” and to “express solidarity with the victims and their relatives,” the statement asserts that “we also condemn the responsibility of European governments in what they are doing with their foreign and domestic policies, and their complicity in human rights violations worldwide.”

In the only reference to terrorism in the statement, the authors wrote: “We also do not forget the victims of military occupations, of wars and terrorism in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestina [sic], Lebanon, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Mali, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso and many other places where what happened yesterday in Barcelona is a daily occurrence.”

Finally, the authors added, “we emphasise our opposition to Islamophobia, Xenophobia and all forms of discrimination.” Solidarity, the authors added, “is our most powerful weapon. #Barcelona.”

ACOM, a Madrid-based pro-Israel network whose legal actions over the past years resulted in dozens of court rulings declaring the BDS movement discriminatory, sent the BDS Catalonia statement in an email to journalists, calling it “grotesque.”

“A movement based on hatred, the perpetuation of conflict and defence of terrorism like BDS cannot avoid proving at all times its immorality and double standard,” ACOM wrote in the email. “This is what happened in the latest lamentable statement by BDS Catalonia.

Com a Moviment BDS Catalunya, volem condemnar els atacs comesos ahir a Barcelona i Cambrils i mostrar la nostra…

Posted by BDS Catalunya on Friday, 18 August 2017

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