Hundreds of intellectuals, journalists, former politicians, and public figures have signed a petition condemning the wave of antisemitic and anti-Israel protests in Italy, marking a powerful and meaningful show of support for Israel, at a time when the government in Rome has adopted an increasingly critical tone toward Jerusalem.
The petition, titled "In Support of Israel and Against the Hunt for Jews", was published on Sunday in the newspaper Il Riformista and has since sparked widespread discussion. Within two days, over 1,150 additional signatories joined: 650 on Monday and about 500 more on Tuesday.
The initiative was launched by a group of around seven journalists and intellectuals led by Jewish Israeli author and journalist Fiamma Nirenstein. Claudio Velardi, editor of Il Riformista, joined the initiative, citing a sense of "intellectual honesty."
The petition warns that the planned demonstrations "against the war in Gaza" and to "stop Israel" are "irresponsible initiatives" that would lead to two disastrous outcomes: "arming public opinion against Israel's right to defend itself" and "enabling the unchecked spread of antisemitism, which threatens the lives of all Jews." It further states that these protests are "organized and promoted by those who do not understand or refuse to understand what happened and what October 7, 2023, means", the day when "5,000 Palestinian terrorists invaded Israel and showed the world that the mass murder of Jews is once again possible."
"The smartphones and cameras that transmitted images of beheadings and children burned alive revealed that the extermination of Jews is once again a viable possibility, if someone is willing to carry it out and no one is willing to stop them," the petition reads. "This was the beginning of a new era of persecution against Jews, an era that did not begin with those massacres, but with the spread of the disgraceful notion that these atrocities 'did not come out of nowhere,' as the UN secretary-general shamelessly claimed."
The signatories emphasize: "Indeed, they did not come out of nowhere. They came from the murderous, antisemitic ambitions of Iran, which for decades has armed and funded Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis in a campaign to surround and annihilate the 'Zionist state.'"
The petition continues: "Anyone who demonstrates 'for Gaza' today could have immediately intervened to force Hamas to release the hostages, but did not. They could have pressured Hamas to lay down its arms, but did not. On the contrary: they applauded the International Criminal Court's arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant."
The signatories express sorrow for all victims of the war and place responsibility squarely on the terrorist group Hamas: "We feel deep pain for all the suffering and deaths in this war, for the many families torn apart. We mourn all the victims, those of October 7 and the many brave young Israeli soldiers who fell defending their people," the petition says. "But we also know who is to blame: Hamas, which cynically waged its war from the beginning using hostages and its own people as human shields."
"We witness every day even here in Italy the most repugnant expressions of Jew-hatred," the petition continues, "from graffiti on storefronts reminiscent of 1930s Germany to signs barring 'Zionists' from restaurants and shops." The signatories ask: "What, then, is the murderous intent, and whose is it? The campaign of condemnation, slander, and delegitimization of Israel and the Jews, now running rampant in the West, blind and self-destructive, gives unconscionable support to that campaign."
They add: "If Hamas surrenders, Palestinians will be safe. If Israel surrenders, then Jews must be exterminated, for being Jews."
Prominent signatories include Giuliano Ferrara, founder and editor of Il Foglio; senior journalist and former deputy editor of Corriere della Sera Pierluigi Battista; popular TV presenter Barbara Palombelli; former education minister under Silvio Berlusconi, Maria Stella Gelmini; former Democratic Party MP and civil rights activist Anna Paola Concia; and philosopher Angelo Bolaffi.
The petition includes figures from both the political left and right, as well as academics, media professionals, and cultural figures who believe that anti-Israel voices must not be allowed to dominate the public discourse. "A clear and moral voice must be raised in support of Israel and the justice of its war against Hamas," the organizers explained, warning that rising antisemitism could result in real harm to Jews.
