by Giovanni Giacalone
The situation for Jews and Israelis in Italy is becoming increasingly worrying, to the point that surveillance has further been strengthened on targets considered sensitive. A situation that, however, seems to be the result of a lack of proper intervention on behalf of the Italian authorities, primarily of the Ministry of Interior currently under the leadership of Matteo Piantedosi, against those who spread broad-spectrum propaganda of hatred and demonization against Jews, Israel and those who support them.
The latest case involves a proscription list with Italian and Israeli companies, as well as Italian and Jewish politicians, academics, diplomats, journalists, and activists, all accused of being “Zionists” and “on Israel’s payroll”.
The list was included in a 24-page long written statement calling for the boycott of Israel and the fight against the Zionists in Italy, released on August 22nd, 2024, by the Italian branch of the New Communist Party, together with the Arab-Palestinian Democratic Union and P- CARC (Committee for the Support of Communist Resistance). A list that recalls actions already taken during the dark and dramatic times of the early 20th century, and that we hoped we’d never see again.
As if it wasn’t enough, the same groups held an event in Tuscany on August 4th, where a Palestinian activist of the Arab-Palestinian Democratic Union known as “Maisa” claimed:
“October 7th for us Palestinians, is a day that we claim with our heads held high and we say it calmly, we are not afraid to say it” and again: “On October 7th when I woke up in the morning and I spoke to my mother, the first thing I said was if it is true, really, because it was hard to believe even for us that finally this could be done”.
The written statement was strongly condemned by the leaders of the majority-parties Lega and Fratelli d’Italia which have so far shown full support to Israel. However, condemning is not enough, because they are part of the government currently in power, led by Giorgia Meloni, and the government should therefore take action.
Otherwise, the risk is to find ourselves once again in grotesque situations like that of the imam of Bologna, Zulfiqar Khan. Following a long campaign of verbal attacks by the imam against Jews, Israelis and even against Italian high government officials and parliamentarians, all perpetrated from the pulpit of the mosque and with videos published on Facebook, several members of the majority found themselves having to ask their interior minister, Piantedosi, to expel the imam. It is important to recall that Khan also glorified Hamas on several occasions.
However, the matter is not yet resolved, and it is not clear what is happening in this specific case, given that the Italian authorities are instead quick to intervene against ISIS supporters.
Another case of hateful propaganda spread on Italia soil is the one involving Palestinian activist Mohammed Hannoun, imam in Genoa and president of the Association of Palestinians in Italy. A couple of days after the October 7th massacre, during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in the center of Milan, Hannoun stated that the attack perpetrated by Hamas was “self-defense”. Such claims were made in an interview with the Italian State TV Rai3.
On January 4th, 2024, Hannoun glorified Yahya Ayyash, Hamas’ notorious bombmaker, and Saleh al-Arouri, a senior Hamas leader in Lebanon who was killed by Israel in Beirut in a drone strike on January 2nd, 2024.
On March 30th, 2024, during a pro-Palestinian demonstration outside Milan’s Central Station. Hannoun, microphone in hand, concluded his speech inciting to turn all Israeli embassies into centers for Palestinian resistance.
In July 2024, Hannoun praised Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades former commander, Emad Akel, and Mohammad Abu Salmiya, director of the al-Shifa hospital. Hannoun is still active and preaching on Italian soil, despite all of the above.
Let’s cite one more case. On January 27th, 2024, the Shoah Memorial Day, a pro-Palestinian unauthorized demonstration led by Hannoun and other well-known Palestinian activists, was held in Milan’s via Padova, a street with a high presence of Muslims.
During the demonstration, a local resident, 25-year-old Mihael Melnic, opened the window of his apartment and exposed a cardboard sign with the writing “Free Gaza from Hamas”, which immediately caused a wave of insults and threats from the crowd. Shortly after, his flat was raided by the plainclothes police who questioned Melnic, tried to confiscate his sign (without success), and attempted to intimidate him. Melnic told his story in an interview with the Times of Israel. Melnic exposed the violent nature of certain “pro-Palestinian” demonstrations and their sympathy for Hamas, and some may not have appreciated this.
Since the massacre of October 7th, the campaign of hatred and demonization against Israel and the Jewish people spread in Italy has increased, also due to the activity of preachers, militants, and activists who have so far acted undisturbed.
Hence, no surprise, if we have reached the point of having to see proscription lists with names and surnames spread by extra-parliamentary groups that publicly boast of acting in secret and of not being traceable. Evidently, the haters of Israel feel comfortable in spreading that type of propaganda. This can be seen as a consequence of the lack of measures taken by the authorities.
The question arises spontaneously, if they had been pro-ISIS, would the Italian authorities have already intervened? Because the impression is that double standards are used when it comes to the “Palestinian cause”.
The solution is not to solely increase the surveillance on sensitive targets (something which should have been done anyway), but rather to intervene against those who spread hateful and pro-terror propaganda. No matter how many precautions are taken, if such propaganda is not stopped in time, sooner or later something will happen. It is the so-called principle of the “pressure cooker”, and a very basic security principle.
International solicitor and author Giuseppe Levi Pezzuli is absolutely correct in his article on “The Times of Israel” when he says: “Neutralizing hate means more than words—it demands action without fear and without favor. Because if we let this slide, we aren’t just repeating the mistakes of the past; we’re endorsing them”.
Unfortunately, we have so far seen no response from the Italian Ministry of Interior.