A 22-year-old French Jewish tourist wearing a kippah was attacked on two consecutive evenings in central Rome, with his assailants reportedly shouting „Free Palestine” during both incidents, The Jerusalem Post reports
The attacks took place last Friday and Saturday in Rome’s historic centre, according to a criminal complaint filed by the victim with the Carabinieri.
The first occurred at around 8 pm in Piazza Cairoli, where a man approached the tourist and sprayed pepper spray directly into his face.
Almost exactly 24 hours later, at around 8.15 pm, the tourist was attacked again near Largo di Torre Argentina, roughly 350 metres from the scene of the first incident.
This time, four people allegedly cornered him and kicked him. The victim told police that he recognised one of the attackers as the same man who had pepper-sprayed him the previous evening.
According to his statement, „Free Palestine” was shouted during both assaults.
Italian authorities opened an investigation after the tourist filed a formal complaint. The Carabinieri subsequently identified a 31-year-old homeless Algerian man with a criminal record and referred the case to the Rome Public Prosecutor’s Office.
He faces preliminary charges of battery aggravated by propaganda and incitement to crimes motivated by racial, ethnic and religious discrimination. Investigators are continuing efforts to identify the other people allegedly involved in the second attack.
The assaults have prompted condemnation from Italian political leaders, diplomats and representatives of Rome’s Jewish community.
Victor Fadlun, President of the Jewish Community of Rome, warned that antisemitic violence had now reached the streets of the Italian capital.
„Unfortunately, man-hunting, the hunting of the Jew, has arrived on the streets of Rome as well,” Fadlun said. „As Italians, we hope we will not have to witness a reaction of growing indifference on the part of public opinion.”
Italian Senate President Ignazio La Russa said Italians „must never grow accustomed to such incidents”, adding that antisemitism „must always be recognised, condemned and confronted firmly.”
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani also condemned the attacks and expressed solidarity with the victim and the wider Jewish community.
„We cannot accept that antisemitism and hatred against Jews find a place in our cities and in our society,” Tajani said. „We must react together, without ever underestimating or tolerating these incidents.”
Israel’s Ambassador to Italy, Jonathan Peled, described the attacks as further evidence of the connection between anti-Zionist rhetoric and antisemitism.
„This is yet another demonstration of how anti-Zionism and antisemitism are one and the same,” Peled said.
„When a person of the Jewish faith can no longer walk the streets of a city without being assaulted, it is not just the safety of a minority at stake: it is everyone’s freedom at stake.”
More News
