Authorities in Bologna have banned an anti-Israel demonstration planned for Tuesday, citing fears of unrest following days of violent clashes across Italy, Reuters reports.
The protest, organized by Giovani Palestinesi Italia, was intended to mark two years since the October 7 Hamas massacre in Israel, which claimed 1,200 lives.
“The demonstration will be absolutely prohibited,” stated Bologna prefect Enrico Ricci, referencing concerns over renewed violence after riots erupted in Rome over the weekend.
Despite the ban, Giovani Palestinesi announced on Instagram their intent to proceed with the gathering. The group had also planned a parallel event in Turin.
Israel’s ambassador to Italy, Jonathan Peled, condemned the initiative, saying it sought to “glorify the October 7 massacre.” Israel’s Foreign Ministry noted that Peled worked with Italian authorities to ensure the event’s cancellation.
The protests in Italy have intensified since Israel intercepted a flotilla attempting to breach Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza, detaining its activists. While the activists claimed their goal was to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, Israel discovered that the flotilla carried barely two tons of aid, amounting to less than one-tenth of a single aid truck. On Saturday, hundreds of thousands marched through central Rome in the fourth consecutive day of demonstrations.
Meanwhile, Milan’s Jewish community has opted for a discreet commemoration of the Hamas attack’s anniversary, according to Reuters.
Italy has seen a sharp rise in antisemitic attacks following the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre and the ensuing war in Gaza.
Over the weekend, a kosher bakery in Rome’s Jewish neighborhood of Viale Marconi was defaced with antisemitic graffiti.
Workers arriving at the bakery on Via Avicenna discovered the message scrawled across the shutter: “Dirty Jews, may you all burn.”
Last month, professional photographer and Chabad hassid Haim Tuito and his family were the target of an antisemitic incident while on a family vacation in Venice.
The visibly Jewish family was enjoying their vacation when a passerby approached them and began shouting anti-Israel slogans, including "Free Palestine."
In August, an American Jewish couple was assaulted in Venice. According to Italian reports, the Orthodox Jewish visitors - a man and his pregnant wife - were confronted by three men without warning.
The assailants allegedly doused the couple with water, spat directly into the man’s face, and set a large dog on him. The dog attempted to bite his thigh, but the blow was deflected when its teeth struck a mobile phone in his pocket.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Sukkot in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)