A professional technology event in Dublin was canceled at the last minute after pro-Palestinian activists threatened to disrupt it because of its alleged links to what they called "Zionist spies."
The event, which had been scheduled to take place Tuesday at the Dublin offices of US technology company MongoDB, was canceled just one day before it was due to begin after pro-Palestinian groups threatened to stage a protest outside the company's offices.
The event had been organized over several months by Python Ireland, a nonprofit organization that promotes the Python programming language. The group holds community conferences every one or two months at technology companies, as well as an annual conference highlighting developments in the language.
Around 200 people had registered to attend. However, in recent days, pro-Palestinian organizations began campaigning against the event.
Their objection centered on J., a former chairman of Python Ireland, who is Israeli and served in the Israel Defense Forces. The activists announced plans to protest outside MongoDB's offices and circulated posters featuring J. alongside Israeli entrepreneur Inbal Goldberger, who also previously served in the IDF.
The posters described J. as a "former occupation forces soldier" and identified him as the former chairman of Python Ireland and co-founder of the startup CodeLiance. Goldberger was labeled a "former intelligence operative."
The posters featured a green background, the inverted red triangle commonly used by Hamas supporters to mark Israeli targets, and bloodstained handprints calling on activists to demonstrate outside MongoDB's Dublin offices. They were circulated on social media by a newly created Instagram account called "Anti Zionist Tech Workers."
Despite the campaign, neither J., who is no longer involved with Python Ireland, nor Goldberger had planned to attend the event.
One day before the conference, MongoDB announced that it was canceling the event, saying the safety of participants was its highest priority and citing logistical and operational considerations.
Python Ireland also issued a statement saying: "We regret to announce that our community meetup scheduled for July 8, 2026, will no longer take place as planned. We would like to thank everyone who registered for the event and supported it.
"Our community exists solely to promote professional discussion, learning and collaboration in technology. We are a non-political community operating in full compliance with Irish law, and we remain committed to focusing on technology and professional discourse. We greatly appreciate the support of our community members and hope to see you at a future event soon."
This is not the first time pro-Palestinian organizations in Ireland have targeted Israeli technology professionals with military backgrounds.
Ireland hosts the European headquarters of many of the world's largest technology companies. In the past, activists circulated lists containing photographs of Israeli employees who had served in the IDF, particularly veterans of military intelligence units, and who now work at companies including Meta, TikTok and Google.
"Israeli spy"
Goldberger herself was previously labeled an "Israeli spy" in one such campaign, in which her photograph appeared alongside those of about 20 other Israelis.
"There is a dangerous process taking place here," Goldberger said. "Pro-Palestinian activists threatened to shut down a professional meetup simply because J. once chaired the organization. There is an effort to completely exclude Israelis from the public sphere, and technology companies must not give in."
"We see that quite a few technology companies have managed to distance themselves from the anti-Israel atmosphere that exists in Ireland, more openly than in any other European country. It is deeply disappointing that MongoDB gave in to extremist voices and canceled the event.
"This should also serve as a wake-up call for the Irish government. If it wants to preserve a Jewish community in the country, it must protect Israelis rather than allow extremist groups to marginalize them because of compulsory military service they completed nearly 25 years ago."
According to Goldberger, Ireland's Jewish community, which has declined significantly over recent decades because of emigration and an aging population, had experienced renewed growth in recent years as Israeli high-tech professionals moved to the country and revitalized community life.
She said anti-Israel demonstrations and attempts to personally target Israelis working for multinational companies in Ireland are now causing many to reconsider their future there.
"I have already become accustomed to the fact that Irish institutions, including universities and the government, display a clear anti-Israel bias," she said. "But I was surprised to see American companies falling in line with the local agenda. I never expected that.
"On the contrary, these companies could make it clear to the Irish that there are lines that should not be crossed, and they have significant economic leverage. The Irish need to understand that their anti-Israel policies, which are perhaps more pronounced than anywhere else in Europe, are not welcomed."
Meanwhile, the pro-Palestinian activists celebrated the cancellation online, claiming they had also succeeded in forcing the cancellation of another event scheduled for October at Trinity College Dublin because of its alleged links to "Zionists."
