Antisemitic and anti-Israel abuse marred Italy’s Liberation Day commemorations Saturday, with descendants of Jewish Brigade fighters and members of Milan’s Jewish community forced to leave the city’s main march under heavy police protection.
Hundreds of thousands of Italians, many affiliated with left-wing groups and labor unions, marked the April 25 anniversary of the country’s liberation from Nazi occupation and fascist rule. But in several cities, and especially in Milan, the commemorations were disrupted by violent scenes and chants directed at Jewish participants.
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Jewish Brigade and Israeli flags flown at Liberation Day commemorations in Milan, Italy
(Photo: from social media)
Among those targeted were descendants of the Jewish Brigade, a unit of Jewish volunteers from British Mandatory Palestine who served in the British Army during World War II and fought the Nazis in Italy, particularly on the northern front. For decades, the brigade’s fighters have been honored as part of Italy’s anti-fascist history.
Since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, however, the annual commemorations have increasingly become a flashpoint for pro-Palestinian activists in Italy. Ahead of this year’s Milan march, reports said representatives of the Jewish Brigade, Jewish youth movements and members of the Jewish community had considered staying away because of threats and what they described as a hostile atmosphere toward Israel.
Jewish organizations ultimately decided to join the Milan march as usual. The event ended in what Jewish leaders described as a disgrace for the city and the country.
Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators carrying Palestinian flags shouted slogans against Israel, the descendants of Jewish Brigade fighters and members of the Jewish community. Some protesters tried to physically intimidate the Jewish marchers, surrounding them and chanting, “Zionists out of Milan.”
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Palestinian flags flown at Liberation Day commemorations in Milan, Italy
(Photo: from social media)
Clashes broke out between pro-Palestinian left-wing demonstrators and security forces, who at times appeared to struggle to maintain order. Police and security personnel used their bodies to shield hundreds of Jewish participants who had come to take part in the annual march.
Emanuele Fiano, a Jewish former lawmaker from the center-left Democratic Party who heads Italy’s Left for Israel movement, said some demonstrators shouted at Jewish participants that they “should have ended up as soap,” an apparent reference to Nazi-era crimes.
“We were expelled from the march only because our flags have a Star of David, only because we support the right of the State of Israel to exist and only because we defend the right of the Jewish Brigade to take part in the march,” Fiano said.
Daniele Nahum, a Milan city council member and senior figure in the city’s Jewish community, said the protesters targeting Jewish marchers were “fascists.”
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Palestinian flag flown at Liberation Day commemorations in Genoa, Italy
(Photo: MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP)
“The problem of antisemitism has become an emergency in this country,” Nahum said. “I feel as though we are in the 1930s. Nothing like this has happened here in 50 years. This is a deep wound for all of Milan and for all anti-fascists.”
As the atmosphere grew more volatile, Jewish Brigade marchers were forced to break away from the procession. With heavy police assistance, they moved in another direction and separated from the tens of thousands of demonstrators, who shouted anti-Israel slogans, whistled and applauded as the Jewish participants left.
Lia Quartapelle, a Jewish lawmaker from the Democratic Party, criticized the government for what she said was a failure to guarantee the safety of marchers and public order in a city honored for its resistance to Nazism.
“This is a sad day, because people wearing a Jewish symbol are not allowed to march,” Quartapelle said. “It is very serious that the government was not properly prepared to ensure the marchers’ safety.”
Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala said he had warned about the possibility of such incidents. “I already raised my concerns about events like this,” Sala said. “I cannot say I am surprised.”
Some left-wing figures blamed the Jewish community and Jewish Brigade participants for bringing Israeli flags to the march, saying it was “not a good idea” during such a sensitive period. Jewish marchers were also seen carrying pre-Islamic Revolution Iranian flags alongside Israeli flags.
Matteo Renzi, a former prime minister and leader of the center-left Italia Viva party, issued a sharp condemnation of the violence.
“Preventing the Jewish Brigade from taking part in the march is pure stupidity,” Renzi said. He added that “there is an atmosphere of growing violence that must be condemned by all of politics and stopped, all of us together.”