A disturbing display of anti-American sentiment unfolded in Spain during Easter celebrations as an effigy of President Donald Trump was publicly destroyed in a centuries-old ritual. The targeted selection of an American political figure during holy celebrations reflects growing international political hostility. What impact might such displays have on U.S.-Spanish relations during a tense global political climate?
Spanish Town’s Easter Ritual Targets Trump
An effigy resembling President Donald Trump was paraded through the streets, violently shot, and burned during Easter Sunday celebrations in Coripe, a small town in southern Spain. The lifelike mannequin, dressed in Trump’s characteristic dark navy suit and red tie, was created by mothers of students at the local Iripo Primary School as part of the town’s annual “Quema de Judas” tradition.
The ritual, which has been declared an Andalusian Festival of National Tourist Interest by Spanish authorities, involves selecting a figure deemed despicable by the community to represent Judas Iscariot, the biblical betrayer of Jesus. Following its procession through town, the Trump effigy was hung from a tree, riddled with bullets from ceremonial rifles, and then set ablaze while residents watched.
Donald Trump effigy shot and set on fire in Spanish village of Coripe during Quema de Judas festival, where locals torch the year's most disliked figure
What USAID propaganda does to a distant European village pic.twitter.com/Cr1cQN1wKs
— RT (@RT_com) April 21, 2025
Historic Tradition with Political Overtones
According to the Tourism Seville website, the festival “represents the satirical punishment of humankind’s most despicable acts,” where “corruption and murder, among others, are burnt at the bonfire of justice.” The traditional event includes a procession of the Resurrected Christ, followed by gun salutes before the Judas figure is destroyed.
Last year’s ceremony targeted Koldo García, a Spanish political figure linked to a corruption scandal, demonstrating the event’s pattern of focusing on controversial public figures. Similar effigy-burning traditions exist in other parts of Spain and throughout Latin America, with Trump effigies also reportedly burned in Alfaro, Spain, and parts of Mexico alongside figures representing Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu.
Spanish locals shoot & burn an effigy of fascist ruler of the world Donald Trump today. It's their annual ceremony against the world's most hated individual. This is how we do it. The only good fascism is dead fascism. pic.twitter.com/iBXoPyB3Dg
— GhostofDurruti (@DurrutiRiot) April 21, 2025
International Implications of Symbolic Violence
The violent destruction of a U.S. president’s likeness during a government-recognized cultural celebration raises questions about international respect and diplomatic norms. President Trump was likely unaware of the event, as he spent Easter at the White House with his family, participating in America’s traditional Easter Egg Roll.
The Tourism Seville website describes the ritual procession in explicit terms: “The Judas is brought to the square accompanied by the traditional ‘cabezudos’ and gunmen. Once the effigy is hanging from a fig tree next to the church, the town’s gunmen shoot the image with blank ammunition until it is completely burnt.”