MILAN – Dozens of posters declaring “Israeli not welcome” were discovered this week across Milan, on storefronts, walls, and metro entrances, including within the historic Jewish quarter, according to local Jewish community leaders. The signs were placed anonymously, and no group has claimed responsibility.
Municipal workers have since removed the posters, and police have launched an investigation. Security footage, reviewed by Shalom, identifies six individuals, three men and three women, distributing the signs.
Walker Meghnagi, head of Milan’s Jewish community, criticized political leaders, especially on the left, for failing to address rising hate. “It would’ve been nice if any of those pseudo-politicians had said something about what happened in Milan,” he said. “They do nothing but stoke hatred… hatred of Jews is now being driven by the left.”
Italian Senate President Ignazio La Russa condemned the incident as “deeply disturbing” and stressed it “requires a clear and unequivocal condemnation”, sending “a message of solidarity” to Israelis and Jews.
Jewish city councillor Daniele Nahum said antisemitism in Milan had “gotten out of control.” Davide Romano, director of Milan’s Jewish Brigade Museum, warned, “This is institutional antisemitism, it starts with words and ends in actions.”
The backlash follows a recent boycott of Israeli products by Coop supermarkets, which replaced them with a “Cola Gaza” drink, a move denounced by Jewish leaders as discriminatory and symptomatic of growing hostility toward Israel across Italy.
Pervasive anti-Israel sentiment from pro-Palestinian groups on the political left, labour unions, and student associations is further blurring the line between legitimate criticism of Israel and outright antisemitism.
Italy’s episode joins a troubling pattern of antisemitic incidents in Europe, such as the defacing of Holocaust memorial murals in Milan last year, heightening concern that hate is no longer fringe but institutional.
Jewish advocacy group the European Jewish Association reported other recent acts of antisemitic graffiti and posters in Italy.
Community leaders are urging all levels of government, local, regional, and national, to publicly denounce the posters and introduce practical measures to prevent recurrence.
This article is based on verified information from Ynetnews, ANSA, and Wikipedia.