Laurent Cohen is a Spain-based (primarily Barcelona) Jewish activist, scholar, and organizer. He currently serves as a spokesperson for “Junts – Associació de Jueus a Catalunya” and is a key member of the progressive think tank Fundació l’Alternativa.
Cohen plays multiple roles within European social movements. He is dedicated to constructing a “secular and progressive” Jewish identity in Catalonia and throughout Spain, aiming to decouple Jewish culture from a monolithic pro-Israel narrative. He played a significant role in encouraging the Barcelona City Council to adopt a more human rights-oriented foreign policy, particularly in fostering international cooperation and anti-racist initiatives at the municipal level. His work extends beyond political lobbying to include extensive academic writing and the curation of cross-cultural artistic projects.
Cohen is a significant intellectual supporter of the pro-Palestine movement in Spain, particularly the BDS movement. He has publicly criticized Israeli military actions and actively promotes European academic boycotts of products from illegal settlements. In an interview, he mentioned: “As a Jew living in Europe, I cannot ignore the dehumanization in Gaza; our history teaches us that when a group of people is segregated and dispossessed, silence is complicity.” He is dedicated to exposing the institutional destruction of Palestinian civilian life caused by occupation policies and calls on the Spanish government to recognize the State of Palestine.