Pro-Palestinian activists disrupted a Jewish group’s participation in Milan’s Liberation Day parade over the weekend, forcing them out of a procession marking the 81st anniversary of Italy’s liberation from Nazi occupation and fascist rule.
The group, identifying with the Jewish Brigade-a unit of about 5,000 Jewish volunteers from British Mandate Palestine who fought alongside Allied forces in Italy during World War II-was blocked on Saturday by around 100 protesters. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported that the confrontation led to a standoff lasting roughly two hours before police escorted the Jewish participants out of the march, according to Italian media reports.
The Jewish Brigade was marching alongside left-wing Jewish organizations as well as Iranian and Ukrainian dissidents. Demonstrators reportedly chanted slogans including “Zionists out of Milan" and accused participants of responsibility for the war in Gaza. Some protesters used a megaphone to claim the Jewish Brigade members had “no right to be at the procession."
The group carried a banner featuring the Jewish Brigade emblem, a yellow Star of David on blue and white stripes. Some reports indicated that Iranian dissidents in the same contingent also carried Israeli flags.
Several Jewish participants reported hearing antisemitic insults, including references to “soap bars," a phrase alluding to a debunked claim that Nazis produced soap from the remains of Holocaust victims. Daniela Ovadia, a participant, wrote on social media that a protester referred to her daughter using that expression. Emanuele Fiano, son of a Holocaust survivor and head of the pro-peace group Left for Israel, also said he heard similar remarks during the march.
Fiano stated that his group had marched under a banner reading “Left for Israel, Two Peoples, Two States," and argued that participants were excluded because of the Star of David on their flag. “Since Left for Israel has a banner with the Star of David, they felt, in the name of their own version of freedom, that these people couldn’t march," he told la Repubblica.
Walker Meghnagi, president of Milan’s Jewish community, condemned the incident, saying Jewish participants had been “taken hostage" and prevented from peacefully taking part in a historic commemoration. He emphasized that Jews had played a significant role in Italy’s liberation.
However, the National Association of Italian Partisans (ANPI), which organizes Liberation Day events, argued that tensions were triggered by the presence of Israeli flags. ANPI president Gianfranco Pagliarulo said such flags were “inappropriate" given the current conflict in Gaza and claimed there had been an understanding that they would not be displayed. Jewish organizers denied any formal restriction and said they followed the event’s rules.
Milan mayor Beppe Sala supported ANPI’s position, stating that “the mistake was participating with Israeli flags."
The incident comes amid heightened tensions in Italy over the Gaza war, with protests increasingly reflecting polarization. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the disruption, warning against violence and intimidation at public commemorations.
Meanwhile, the dispute between Milan’s Jewish community and ANPI has intensified, with accusations of antisemitism and threats of legal action exchanged between the two sides.