Anti-Jewish Riot in Italy

Nothing says peace and love like “urban guerilla war.”

But then again, if you are out there demonstrating your support for genocidal terrorists, your definition of peace and justice might differ from the average person’s.

Absolute state of this!
Riots erupted in Italy over the presence of a *single Jewish stall* at a jewellery fair in Vicenza. 
Police fired water cannons after hundreds of protesters threw flares during clashes described by local officials as an “urban guerrilla war” and a “serious… pic.twitter.com/XEMjSiESOY

— Jake Wallis Simons (@JakeWSimons) January 23, 2024

The story is bizarre, and I hope more details come out about just who the demonstrators are. Are they mostly Italians? That would be surprising since antisemitism wasn’t even much of a force even during World War II, when Italians were reluctant to fulfill German requests to deport Jews despite their formal alliance. Mussolini called German racial theory “arrant nonsense, stupid and idiotic.” For much of the 1930s, Italy was actually a safe haven for Jews.

Antisemitism was a thing in the Papal states, but even in Medieval times, Italy was far less antisemitic than most of Europe.

However, Italy has been flooded with immigrants over the past decade, and it would surprise me not at all to find that the mob was filled with recent Middle Eastern immigrants.

In any case, here are the details:

A masked anti-Israel mob attacked police over the presence of a single Israeli stall at a trade fair in Vicenza in northern Italy last Saturday.

Police fired water cannons after hundreds of protesters threw flares during clashes described by local officials as an “urban guerrilla war” and a “serious episode of intolerance and antisemitism”.

The annual jewellery fair, Vicenzaoro, is one of the biggest trade events in the jewellery world. This year, the 70th-anniversary celebration exhibition involved more than 1,300 exhibitors from approximately 40 countries, including Israel.

Protesters objected to Israel’s inclusion and planned a demonstration to oppose the presence of the Jewish state at the fair.

The protesters fired smoke bombs and flares as lines of officers carrying shields appeared to try and push the group back. The groups rammed each other. Sirens could be heard, and, in one clip, police officers could be seen dragging a protester away and beating him with a baton.

There was one exhibitor from Israel. One. Out of 1300. And this is the response.

We seem to be losing the distinction between embracing free speech and allowing violence and illegal disruptions in civic life. People should be able to share their opinions; they should not be allowed to force them on others through street actions, shouting in people’s faces, blocking traffic, or intimidation.

That isn’t speech. It is thuggery.

Pro-Palestine protesters blocked the entrance to Portland’s PDX airport. People had to get out their cars and walk to make their flights.

Not a single protester was arrested.

A spokesperson said they broke Oregon law HOWEVER we need to “balance support of free speech activity.”… pic.twitter.com/m3JitXMUms

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 3, 2024

The irony is rich in these matters. Our elites are all for suppressing unapproved opinions but reluctant to prosecute people for actively disrupting people’s lives and intimidating them.

It’s just going to get worse, too. The antisemitic genie is out of the bottle, and it will burn itself out at its own pace, as all pogroms do.

Eventually. And no thanks to our leaders.