'Free Gaza' Spray-painted on Synagogue in Northern Italy Amid Nationwide Protests - News - Haaretz.com
Protesters spray-painted a synagogue with pro-Palestinian messages in Bologna, Italy, on Saturday night, at anti-government demonstrations sparked by the death of an Egyptian-Italian 19-year-old, Italian news channels reported.
Several policemen were wounded across Italy in rallies in memory of Ramy Elgaml, who died after officers allegedly rammed into his motorcycle in a police chase in November, according to Euronews.
The graffiti outside the synagogue in Bologna included the phrases "Ramy Lives" and "Free Gaza," the latest in a spike in antisemitic graffiti in Italy since the outbreak of the war on October 7.
"This was a targeted and planned attack on the Jewish community of Bologna," Daniele de Paz, president of the Jewish community organization in Bologna told the Adnkronos news channel. He added that the vandals 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 said.
"What responsibility does the Jewish community in its essence have for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?" he asked.
Officials condemned the violence at the protests and the graffiti. Far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni accused the protesters of "taking advantage of a tragedy" to riot, while Italian Senate Speaker Ignazio La Russa offered support to the Italian Jewish community on X.
On X, Israel's Ambassador to Italy Jonathan Peled called the vandalism "a serious antisemitic attack, which should be unequivocally condemned."
The Jewish organization's president also called for Bologna's mayor to remove a Palestinian flag in a town hall window, saying it caused tensions and caused "worrying reactions toward [Jews]." The mayor expressed solidarity with the community after the incident and said the damage would soon be fixed, Adnkronos reported.
The synagogue in question has been in use since the nineteenth century, going through various redesigns, the Jewish community organization says. Bologna has had a Jewish community since the fourteenth century, with Jewish presence in the country dating back 2000 years. Italy's current government, headed by Meloni, has recently been embroiled in antisemitic scandals.