Mural Depicting Kidnapping of Israelis in Milan Removed
Translated & summarized from Mako by baba
A mural in Milan, Italy, by artist Alessandro Palombo, depicting the kidnapping of Israelis Noa Argamani and Avinatan Or on October 7th, has been erased. The artwork was removed during a repainting of the wall near the Gallery of Modern Art, with the exact reasons for the timing still unclear. Israel's Ambassador to Italy condemned the act as a serious display of antisemitism and an attempt to rewrite history. This incident follows previous vandalism of Palombo's works addressing historical tragedies.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Mural in Milan showing kidnapped Israelis Noa Argamani and Avinatan Or has been erased.
- Artist Alessandro Palombo's work was removed during a wall repainting near the Gallery of Modern Art.
- Israel's Ambassador to Italy condemned the erasure as antisemitic and an attempt to rewrite history.
- The wall had been neglected for years, but the timing of the repainting is unclear.
- This is not the first time Palombo's art addressing historical events has been vandalized.
A mural in Milan, Italy, that depicted the kidnapping of Israelis Noa Argamani and Avinatan Or during the October 7th Hamas attack has been erased. The artwork, created by Italian artist Alessandro Palombo, was removed less than a month after its completion as part of a repainting of an entire wall near the city's Gallery of Modern Art. The mural, which stood about six meters high, featured Argamani and Or, who were captured at the Nova music festival on October 7th.
The circumstances surrounding the wall's repainting remain unclear. Reports indicate the wall, located in the Villa Reale Gardens area, had been neglected for years and previously bore other graffiti. It is not yet known if the maintenance work was planned before the mural's creation or decided upon afterward. The repainting is attributed to Milan municipal authorities, though the specific department that commissioned the work has not been officially identified.
Israel's Ambassador to Italy, Yonatan Peled, condemned the erasure in a post on X, formerly Twitter. He called the removal "extremely serious," stating it "reveals the worrying face of antisemitism and the attempt to rewrite the memory of that disaster." He emphasized that "remembering the victims is a duty that cannot be silenced."
Jewish community media outlets in Italy, including "Shalom" of the Rome Jewish community and "Mosaico" of the Milan Jewish community, also reported on the incident. The Jerusalem Post and other Italian media outlets, such as the ANSA news agency, covered the story.
This is not the first time Palombo's work has been targeted. Previous artworks by the artist, which addressed the Holocaust and the October 7th events, have been vandalized. These included depictions of Holocaust survivors Liliana Segre and Sami Modiano, the Bibas family, and a piece titled "The Jewish Simpsons Family Deported to Auschwitz." Some of these past incidents were classified as antisemitic acts. Palombo is internationally recognized for his art focusing on social issues, human rights, discrimination, and collective memory.
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