by Giovanni Giacalone
On Saturday, September 28th, 2024, scenes worthy of Nazi Germany were seen in Milan, during a “pro-Palestinian” demonstration organized by the far-left group “Committee for the Support of Communist Resistance (CARC)” and the Arab-Palestinian Democratic Union.
During the street march, cardboard signs with the faces of several people including a rabbi, an Israeli consul, and the one of 94-year-old Holocaust survivor, Liliana Segre, next to the words “Zionist agent”, were paraded
From the CARC stage, one of its activists, Gabriele Rubini, incited to mark the houses of the “Zionist agents” with paint. Someone must have been eager to follow Rubini’s advice because, on Monday, September 30th, a Jewish elementary school in Milan was defaced with the words “Israeli murderers”.
Rubini also referred to Hassan Nasrallah as a “brother” and was filmed on another stage in Milan, on the same day, next to well-known Palestinian militants Shoukri Hroub (Palestinian Democratic Union) and Muhammad Hannoun (photographed in the past with Ismail Haniyeh and Khaled Meshaal). During the demonstrations, Hezbollah flags were also paraded.
On August 22nd, 2024, the Italian New Communist Party (NPC), issued a 24-page long public notice (notice no. 145) calling for the boycott of Israel and the fight against the Zionists in Italy. The extremist formation published a list with Italian and Israeli companies, as well as Italian Jewish and non-Jewish politicians, academics, diplomats, journalists, and activists, all accused of being “Zionists” and “on Israel’s payroll”. The blacklist was updated on September 18th with many additional names.
It is also worth recalling that the August 22nd notice cited a speech made by Rubini during an event organized by CARC and the Arab-Palestinian democratic Union in Tuscany, which included the following statement:
“The primary culprits and targets of the continental resistance in support of the Palestinian people are journalists. They must be afraid to go to work every day, they must fear for the safety of their sons and daughters….”If there was a general global movement it should attack the media first”.
On September 30th, the Italian media revealed that Rubini has been reported to the Milan Public Prosecutor’s Office for propaganda and incitement to crime for reasons of racial discrimination.
The far-left groups and the Palestinians have announced two demonstrations planned for October 5th in Rome to mark the October 7th anniversary, described as “resistance”. The Italian authorities, after pondering on the issue, decided not to grant permission, but the extremists have defied the ban, and it is very likely that on Saturday there will be clashes.
This disastrous situation is the result of the “freedom of expression” policy carried on by the Meloni government, which went far beyond and to led to the blacklist of Jews and “Zionists agents”, to the parade of cardboard signs with their faces, to the defacement of a Jewish school. It also led to imams praising Hamas, making anti-Semite statements and glorifying terrorists from the pulpit. Yes, these imams are still free to preach and spread hate-speech.
The activity of the far left formations and the pro-Pals was largely predictable. On December 7th, 2023, NPC had published another statement (No. 30/2023 “Mobilize against the media that are complicit and abet the crimes of the Zionist State of Israel! Develop solidarity with the heroic Palestinian resistance!”) that included a list of Italian media groups, TV channels and newspapers accused of being “imperialist”, siding with Israel and of complicity in the “genocide against the Palestinians”. Unlike statement no. 145, that list did not include names of individuals (Jews and friends of Israel) or Israeli companies, but the direction undertaken was evident.
Unfortunately, within the security apparatus, some may have underestimated the phenomenon, and this is the result. They may have thought that the problem was manageable, but it obviously isn’t, seen the current situation.
Extremism is the “antechamber” of terrorism, of violent action. Letting extremism spread inevitably leads to violence. If it is true with ISIS, it’s the same with the so-called “Palestinian cause”. While the Italian authorities have been quick to deal with pro-ISIS narrative, the same cannot be stated regarding the pro-Hamas, pro-Hezbollah and anti-Semite ones.
The New Communist Party, and its leader “Ulisse”, like to believe that they are operating in total secrecy but, unfortunately for them, their identities are not secret. The issue is not “who they are” and “what they do”; it is rather, why are they being given so much freedom of movement. Indeed, only the Meloni government and its Interior Minister, Matteo Piantedosi, can answer this question.
In the meantime, Brothers of Italy MPs Kelany and Filini are still waiting for Piantedosi’s reply to their parliament inquiry on how the Ministry plans to protect those included in the NPC’s blacklist.
As if the situation wasn’t serious enough, on October 1st, Forza Italia party senator, Maurizio Gasparri denounced the presence of anti-Semites within the Italian mainstream media and even among the State security personnel:
“My name is mentioned in the document of “Zionist agents” published by the New Communist Party and CAR. The document is too analytical to have been written by a social center. There is certainly the hand of some ‘wise’ journalist. And this shows how anti-Semitism exists in journalism and in the security apparatus”. (As reported by LaPresse).
Now, Prime Minister Meloni and Interior Minister Piantedosi have a lot to explain.