
Protesters spray-painted pro-Palestinian Arab messages on a synagogue in Bologna, Italy, on Saturday night during anti-government demonstrations sparked by the death of a 19-year-old Egyptian-Italian man, Haaretz reported, citing Italian news outlets.
The rallies, held in memory of Ramy Elgaml, turned violent in multiple cities, with several police officers injured. Elgaml died in November following a police chase, during which officers allegedly rammed into his motorcycle, according to Euronews.
Outside the Bologna synagogue, graffiti included phrases such as "Ramy Lives" and "Free Gaza".
"This was a targeted and planned attack on the Jewish community of Bologna," said Daniele de Paz, president of the local Jewish community organization, in an interview with the Adnkronos news channel. He noted that the attackers also threw cherry bombs and bricks at the synagogue.
"We are talking about a substantially unfrequented street, a small street that is the back of the building of the Jewish community of Bologna, which overlooks the residences including that of the rabbi and the secretary," he added.
"What responsibility does the Jewish community in its essence have for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?" said de Paz.
Italian officials condemned both the violence and the graffiti. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni criticized the protesters for "taking advantage of a tragedy" to incite chaos. Meanwhile, Senate Speaker Ignazio La Russa expressed support for the Jewish community on X.
Israel's Ambassador to Italy, Jonathan Peled, also weighed in on X, calling the vandalism "a serious antisemitic attack, which should be unequivocally condemned."
The incident comes amid a sharp rise in antisemitism around the world since Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza.
The Antisemitism Observatory recently said Italy has seen a 300% surge in antisemitic incidents since the October 7 attack.
On the day of the anniversary of the October 7 massacre, vandals defaced a mural in Milan that depicted Vlada Patapov, a survivor of the attack.
Patapov became a symbol of Hamas’ brutality attack after images of her, wearing a red jacket and fleeing across the desert during the massacre at the Nova music festival, went viral.
A month later, a small hotel in northern Italy refused a reservation from an Israeli couple, claiming that Israelis are “responsible for genocide”.
Other previous incidents of antisemitism in Italy include a rabbi being stalked in Genoa by an individual wielding a screwdriver.
Another incident involved a restaurant owner telling diners that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was justified in wanting to kill all Jews, unaware that the diners themselves were Jewish.