Italy is bracing for antisemitic violence on Friday as pro-Palestine protesters attempt to rewrite history, misappropriating the 80th Festa della Liberazione—or, Liberation Day, marking the end of Nazi Germany’s occupation of the country—as their own day of Palestinian Resistance.
In Rome, protesters are “threatening” Jewish people, and are even prepared for “guerrilla warfare against the Jewish community” at Porta San Paolo, according to Il Giornale. The paper accuses the Left of bending the celebrations to “political ends,” turning the day into “just another parade to march against the government and Israel.”
In Milan, too, activists from The Young Palestinians group will meet early to fulfil their “strong demand to lead the procession”—in other words, to completely take over the march and divert it from its actual meaning. The entitled demonstrators stressed:
We want and need to be at the front, as a living and current expression of the Resistance.
Any other position, they say, “would be an attempt to silence the true meaning of this day.”
The Young Palestinians—or, Giovani Palestinesi—last year took to the streets in Rome to ‘reaffirm’ that “October 7th, 2023, is the date of a revolution,” which gives a flavour of their moral compasses.
I giovani palestinesi scenderanno in piazza a Roma per ribadire che «il 7 ottobre 2023 è la data di una rivoluzione». Tutto normale? pic.twitter.com/k2fUPH6W1P
— Marco Fattorini (@MarcoFattorini) September 3, 2024
The group is reportedly made up of Palestinian students and Italian sympathisers who have been linked to antisemitic attacks as well as violence against the police.
Gaza activists are also expected to launch demonstrations in other cities across Europe.