A Jewish father and son were attacked by a mob at a café at a gas station near Milan, Italy, who shouted “Free Palestine!” and other slogans after noticing that the pair, who wear traditional head coverings, were Jewish.
The father and son, who are French, had intended to use the restroom. They were apparently targeted before the father began filming the crowd on video. He was later reportedly knocked down and kicked by the crowd.
🔴ALERTE INFO
— Les Spectateurs (@SpectateursFr) July 28, 2025
🚨🇮🇹🇮🇱 #Italie Lors d’une halte dans une station-service italienne sur la route des vacances, une famille juive ✡️ venue de France 🇫🇷 portant la kippa a été prise à partie par plusieurs clients italiens, dont le caissier de la station-service. Sous les cris de… pic.twitter.com/SfUshPxpq1
The Times of Israel reported:
A Jewish father and his six-year-old son were targeted by a mob yesterday chanting “Free Palestine” and “Murderers” at a cafe in a rest area next to Milan. According to reports in Italian media, several people joined in the chants and the father was pushed to the floor and repeatedly kicked.
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The incident began as one cashier yelled “Free Palestine” as the father and son were about to enter the restrooms, and other joined in the chants.
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When the father and son left the restroom, the father said that some 15 or 20 people were waiting for them, demanding that he delete the video. When he refused, he found himself on the floor — while a bystander took the child to a corner to protect him.
Israel’s ynetnews.com added:
A Jewish man from France and his young son were verbally assaulted at a gas station in Italy this week in what Jewish advocacy groups are calling a serious antisemitic incident. The pair was targeted with shouts of “Free Palestine” and “murderers” after passersby noticed the child wearing a kippah, a traditional Jewish skullcap.
The child appeared visibly distressed, while his father responded by calling out “Am Yisrael Chai,” Hebrew for “The people of Israel live.” The confrontation was captured on video and circulated widely on social media, drawing both condemnation and inflammatory responses online.
Israeli government spokesman David Mencer told journalists Monday that there had been a surge of antisemitic incidents worldwide in the wake of inflammatory and inaccurate reporting about “starvation” in Gaza, often including photos of emaciated children who actually had other medical conditions.