Event Planned for Third Anniversary of Hamas Attacks

Samidoum, an organisation designated by the United States, Canada and Germany as a front for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), is holding a commemorative gathering in Plaça Universitat in Barcelona on Wednesday 7 October 2026. The event marks the third anniversary of the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023, which resulted in 1,195 deaths and 251 people kidnapped, according to ABC Cataluña. The poster for the event refers to the attack as "Tufan al-Aqsa" and carries the slogan "Always with the resistance of Palestine". The demonstration proceeds despite international designations: in October 2024, the United States Department of State designated Samidoum as a "charitable front organisation" fundraising for the PFLP, a group listed as terrorist by the US, Canada and others. Germany has banned all activities by the organisation on its territory.

Local Groups Express Support

The event in Barcelona has the backing of UAB Acció per Palestina, a student group from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, and Global Sumud Cataluña, the Catalan arm of the Global Sumud Flotilla. The flotilla, which sought to break Israel’s maritime blockade of Gaza, received a €40,000 grant from the Barcelona City Council in July 2025 under Mayor Jaume Collboni. In a statement dated 2 October 2025, the mayor described the flotilla as a "peaceful, courageous and well-intended initiative" and condemned Israel’s interception of the vessels, demanding the immediate release of those detained. UAB Acció per Palestina has previously run campaigns under slogans including "Zionism out of the neighbourhood", distributing flyers in around 40 Barcelona businesses.

The people of Palestine are the victims of an intolerable massacre on the part of Netanyahu’s government.

Similar commemorations are planned in Madrid at the old parish church of San Carlos Borromeo. The Hamas attacks, which began on 7 October 2023, are described by participating groups as acts of resistance, while internationally they are widely recognised as the deadliest terrorist assault in Israel’s history.

Primary sources: Barcelona City Council, 2021-2025.state.gov. Reported by abc.es, escolapau.uab.cat, ddd.uab.cat, UAB - Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, ABC Cataluña.