Israeli and Jewish Pride March Participants Say They Were Forced Out in Bologna

A group of Israelis and Jews who came to Bologna’s Pride march in Italy says they were driven out by hostile crowds after being identified as Jewish when they displayed Pride flags with a Star of David. Several participants said they were verbally and physically attacked, and one Israeli woman who lives in the city with her partner said, “They shouted that we should go back to the gas chambers, and literally threw us out with blows.”

According to Melanie Lasid, a Jewish resident of Italy for nearly 20 years who organized the mixed group of supporters, the group came with Pride flags and signs backing LGBTQ rights as well as Jewish and Iranian communities, partly in response to the earlier removal of the Jewish LGBTQ organization Keshet from Rome’s Pride march. She said, “We came in a positive spirit.” But, she added, “Within minutes we were surrounded by people who started shouting at us. We knew we might face hostility, but we did not expect what happened next.”

Another Israeli woman who was there with her partner and their son said undercover police approached during the commotion and warned them to leave because violence could break out. “They came over quickly and said we had to leave because it could end in violence. They made clear we were in danger and should get out,” she said. Lasid said the group was harassed, shouted at and shoved, and that a woman tore the sign from her hands before they had no choice but to leave.

A pregnant Israeli participant gave a similar account, saying she came to support “proud Israeli families” living in Bologna, but was met with shoving and chants of “murderers” and “Zionists are not welcome.” She said one man tried to push her and responded angrily when told she was pregnant. The incident comes amid a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents involving Israelis and Jews across Italy in recent weeks, including the cancellation of Keshet’s participation in Rome’s Pride after it refused to condemn Israel, offensive emails to Israeli tourists, and a restaurant that refused to host a customer after spotting a Star of David on her Instagram page.