A severe incident of Jew hatred occurred on July 11 on the beachfront promenade in Budva, Montenegro, where a group of young people from Gaza border communities was brutally attacked. The incident began when four men approached the group, asked where they were from, and after hearing the answer “Israel,” shouted curses at them in English and Arabic.
The attackers initially left the scene but returned shortly after with about 10-15 additional young men aged 20-21, cursing, threatening, and physically assaulting the Israelis. Members of the group were brutally beaten with fists and kicks, attacked with chairs and tables, and chased when they tried to flee. Several victims were knocked to the ground and beaten and kicked repeatedly.
One victim even had a cigarette put out on him. According to the victims—who were not wearing kippahs or carrying Israeli symbols and were attacked solely for identifying as Israeli—local police did not intervene despite being exposed to the incident. Officers told them they were “making too much noise for the neighbors” and left without providing assistance. The wounded fled to the local Chabad house, from where one of them was taken to the hospital.
Serious Injuries and Official Response
Several of the Israelis were seriously injured: one victim suffered a broken jaw and underwent complex surgery, another was severely injured in the head, a third lost consciousness after being beaten severely, and others were left bleeding with bruises and swelling on their heads. The Israeli embassy helped the group arrange early return flights to Israel, while the victim who underwent jaw surgery remained hospitalized.
Following the incident, local Prime Minister Milojko Spajić sent an apologetic message to the young men through the Foreign Ministry, in which he sent his apologies and wishes to the families and young men, and promised that all those involved would be punished and brought to trial. The parents of one of the attacked teens described the difficult feelings: “They felt like in the Holocaust—they just said they were Israeli and were attacked by a mob. Throughout the vacation they received good treatment and felt safe, and this incident cast a shadow over everything. They feel humiliated and it will take them time to recover.”