THE Spanish Civil Guard this week arrested three neo-Nazis on suspicion that they had committed antisemitic hate crimes. The two men and a woman are thought to have been behind a campaign of vandalism that targeted the village of Castrillo Mota de Judíos in Burgos, and several sites in Madrid.
The Burgos municipality of Castrillo Mota de Judíos – which translates as Jews’ Hill Camp – was previously named Castrillo Matajudíos; literally, Camp Kill Jews. Local residents voted in 2014 to change the name as it was offensive, and the decision was taken for the village to honour its Jewish origins.
Since then the village has been targeted several times by antisemites. The detainees are thought to have tried to burn an Israeli flag there, as well as setting fire to rubbish containers and leaving neofascist graffiti.
The three suspects are also accused of having attacked Jewish areas in the Madrid cemeteries in Hoyo de Manzanares and la Almudena.
During searches of the suspects’ homes, the Civil Guard located a trove of fascist material, including calendars with swastikas, scarves, busts, books with photos of Adolf Hitler and stickers. The authorities also found Tasers and air pistols, as well as a marijuana plantation and other drugs.
The investigation began in December 2021, according to a Civil Guard statement, when the graffiti appeared in Castrillo Mota de Judíos. The vandalism was repeated in the same village in August of this year.
Civil Guard investigators discovered that the graffiti had been left by the same person, leading them to the suspects, who are aged between 36 and 42 years old.
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