Organizers of Rome’s Pride parade said Jewish LGBTQ groups will not be allowed to participate with a float after they refused to condemn what organizers called the “ongoing genocide in Gaza.”
The decision targets Keshet Italia and Keshet Europe, Jewish LGBTQ organizations that had sought to take part in next month’s parade.
In a statement, organizers said any group seeking to operate a float must take “a clear and unequivocal position condemning the genocide committed by the Israeli government.” They said they distinguish between the Israeli government and the Jewish community but accused Keshet Italia of refusing to condemn Israel.
Keshet Italia, Italy’s only Jewish-Italian LGBTQ organization, accused the organizers of applying a double standard and of antisemitism disguised as a political position.
“There is no Pride if minorities are excluded,” the group said. “Pride has become an ideological tribunal that expels minorities and has lost its soul. We do not accept lessons in rights from those who practice identity-based exclusion.”
The organization said it was the first time it had been subjected to a political and identity test to prove it was “worthy of being there,” treatment it said was not applied to any other association.
Keshet Italia also said its members faced explicit antisemitic attacks during last year’s parade, while organizers “chose to remain silent” and did not condemn the incidents.
Ariel Heller, president of Keshet Italia, told Israel’s public broadcaster Kan that Jews should not be held responsible for the actions of a foreign government.
“As Jews, we are not responsible for everything that the government of another country does,” he said. “This was just a way for them to remove our organization and our community. This is Europe in 2026, and Jews still have to fear taking part in a Pride parade in Italy. It is madness.”
The dispute has drawn attention in Italy and abroad. Keshet Italia called on Rome’s mayor and city council members not to attend the parade, saying Rome, a city associated with resistance and memory, should not attach its name to an event that excludes Jews.