Italy's leader denounces antisemitism; pro-Palestinian rally is moved from Holocaust Remembrance Day

Source: Associated Press

Italy’s leader denounces antisemitism; pro-Palestinian rally is moved from Holocaust Remembrance Day

BY NICOLE WINFIELD AND PAOLO SANTALUCIA
Updated 12:27 PM EST, January 26, 2024

ROME (AP) — Italy’s president on Friday denounced rising antisemitism and delivered a powerful speech in support of the Jewish people as he commemorated a Holocaust Remembrance Day overshadowed by Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and a rise in anti-Israel acts here.

In a ceremony at the Quirinale Palace attended by the premier and leaders of Italy’s Jewish community, President Sergio Mattarella called the Holocaust “the most abominable of crimes” and recalled the complicity of Italians under Fascism in the deportation of Jews.

Also Friday, Rome’s police chief ordered pro-Palestinian activists to postpone a rally in the capital that had been scheduled for Saturday, the actual day of Holocaust Remembrance. Israel’s Jewish community has complained that such protests have become occasions for the memory of the Holocaust to be co-opted by anti-Israel forces and used against Jews.

Palestinian organizers said they would protest nonetheless, saying the potential for conflict with police was a small price to pay given the toll of Palestinian deaths in Gaza.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/italy-israel-gaza-holocaust-antisemitism-17547da41aa27160f0ad354a30687e3b