Italian Journalist Faces Antisemitic Attacks After Calling Israeli Settlers 'Tourists'
In recent months, Italy has witnessed a surge in anti-Israel and antisemitic incidents, particularly targeting the media and cultural sectors. These include harassment of Jewish and pro-Israel academics on campuses, silencing of authors supporting Israel, exclusion of LGBTQ+ community members from pride events for refusing to condemn Israel, and efforts to identify Jewish or Israeli tourists at leisure sites.
Giovanni Battista Brunori, an Italian journalist for the RAI broadcaster stationed in Jerusalem, has become a focal point of this wave. Two weeks ago, while reporting on a deadly attack near the Palestinian village of Tal, where an Israeli security officer and an IDF officer were killed, Brunori described the Israeli victims as part of a "group of tourists." This term sparked severe backlash in Italy, including antisemitic slurs, death threats against him and his family, and defamatory caricatures portraying him with antisemitic stereotypes.
Pro-Palestinian activists and left-wing groups in Italy have led a campaign against Brunori and two other RAI employees: spokesperson Incoronta Boccia, who expressed solidarity with Israel at a Jewish community event, and Antonino Montalaona, a program host critical of the dominant anti-Israel narrative. Even within RAI, Brunori faced accusations from a pro-Palestinian workers’ union accusing him of being a propaganda tool for the occupation. Another journalists’ union defended him, affirming his professionalism.
RAI’s CEO Giampaolo Rossi condemned the hate campaign and threats, calling the antisemitic caricature "a grave incident" rooted in Italy’s darkest history. Brunori revealed that the main instigator of the attacks is Mohammed Hanoun, a Palestinian suspected of Hamas ties and fundraising in Italy, who demanded RAI alter Brunori’s report to label the Israeli group as violent settlers. Brunori insisted his coverage was balanced, depicting both violent settlers and the attacked Israeli families as distinct groups.
Despite the harassment, Brunori remains committed to his work, warning that much of the online abuse stems from misinformation and incitement by influential figures. The campaign against him has drawn condemnation from Italy’s right-wing politicians and Milan’s Jewish community leader Walter Magnagi, who called for swift judicial action. Francesco Filini, a parliament member from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s party, accused leftist leaders of fueling hostility toward public service journalists.
