Rabbi attacked in Milan, ‘kicked and punched at a bus stop’
The man was at the bus stop in the late afternoon when three men, “who appeared to be of Arab origin”, as Meghnagi reported, began to harass him and push him, but he did not react
First they insulted him and shoved him about, then they attacked him with kicks and punches, spat at him, and trampled on his hat. This is what happened to a rabbi in his sixties in broad daylight, shortly before 6 pm, in Milan’s Bande Nere neighbourhood – which is located near the Jewish quarter – whilst he was waiting for the bus.
The three individuals, who were found shortly afterwards by the police, have already been identified and measures are expected to be taken against them shortly. The incident was brought to light by the president of the Jewish Community of Milan, Walker Meghnagi, who commented in no uncertain terms: “I am ashamed of my country for what has happened; we have never seen anything so violent.” Expressions of solidarity from the institutions followed immediately, with the President of the Senate, Ignazio La Russa, describing it as “a disturbing incident that must not be underestimated. Violence and anti-Semitic hatred have no place in our society and must be firmly opposed, through the establishment of the facts and the identification of those responsible’.
The man was at the bus stop in the late afternoon when three men, “who appeared to be of Arab origin”, as Meghnagi reported, began to harass him and push him, but he did not react.
“The three of them then ‘beaten him to a pulp’; nothing so violent has ever happened before,” continues the president of the Milanese Jewish community. “They kicked and punched him, took his hat off, trampled on him and spat on him. They recognised he was Jewish from the way he was dressed.”
However, the rabbi managed to take a photo and even a video of the three men as they fled towards the Bande Nere underground station. He called the police, then reported the incident and went to hospital to be examined. “Unfortunately, in the aftermath of 7 October 2023, we have witnessed a sort of ‘green light’ for anti-Jewish hatred,” commented Davide Romano, director of the Jewish Brigade Museum, “which erupted even before Israel’s military response in Gaza. A toxic atmosphere that can no longer be tolerated.” The Jewish Brigade has issued “yet another heartfelt appeal to politicians, and in particular to a certain section of the left: it is essential to tone down the rhetoric immediately”.
