"Italian Leader Condemns Antisemitism, Prompts Rescheduling of Pro-Palestinian Rally on Holocaust Remembrance Day"

Italy's President Sergio Mattarella denounced rising antisemitism and expressed support for the Jewish people during a Holocaust Remembrance Day overshadowed by Israel's military campaign in Gaza. He condemned the complicity of Italians under Fascism in the deportation of Jews and called for fundamental human rights to be respected everywhere. Pro-Palestinian activists were ordered to postpone a rally in Rome scheduled for the actual day of Holocaust Remembrance, with concerns raised about the co-opting of the Holocaust memory by anti-Israel forces. Antisemitic episodes in Italy hit an unprecedented high last year, with 454 incidents reported, and there were instances of pro-Palestinian advocates using the memory of the Holocaust against Israel and Jews.