A 22-year-old French Jewish tourist wearing a kippah was targeted in back-to-back antisemitic assaults in Rome last Friday and Saturday, sparking widespread outrage and swift condemnation from Italian political leaders and Jewish community figures.
According to the formal criminal complaint filed by the victim with the Carabinieri stationed at Roma Piazza Farnese, the attacks took place on two consecutive evenings in the historic center of the Italian capital.
In the first incident, which occurred at around 8:00 p.m. in Piazza Cairoli, the tourist was approached and sprayed directly in the face with pepper spray.
The following evening, at around 8:15 p.m. near Largo di Torre Argentina, approximately 350 meters from the site of the first attack, the victim was cornered and kicked by a group of four individuals.
Assailants shouted the slogan ‘Free Palestine’ during both attacks
The tourist identified one participant in the second assault as the same perpetrator who had pepper-sprayed him the previous night. The assailants shouted the slogan “Free Palestine” during both attacks, according to the victim’s statement to law enforcement.
Local law enforcement launched an investigation following the formal complaint. Authorities have identified a 31-year-old homeless Algerian man with a criminal record and referred him to the Rome Public Prosecutor’s Office, according to police and press statements released by the Carabinieri.
He is facing preliminary charges of battery aggravated by propaganda and incitement to crimes motivated by racial, ethnic, and religious discrimination. Investigators said efforts remain underway to identify and track down the remaining individuals involved in the group assault.
Jewish community leaders, Italian officials, and diplomats respond to the antisemitic incident
The two assaults drew concern from Jewish community leaders. “Unfortunately, man-hunting, the hunting of the Jew, has arrived on the streets of Rome as well. As Italians, we hope we will not have to witness a reaction of growing indifference on the part of public opinion,” Victor Fadlun, president of the Jewish community of Rome, said in a statement provided to local reporting outlets.
Italian officials and diplomats also reacted to news of the incident. Italians “must never grow accustomed to such incidents,” and antisemitism “must always be recognized, condemned, and confronted firmly,” Italian Senate President Ignazio La Russa said in a statement condemning the attack.
“I firmly condemn the antisemitic aggression suffered by a young French tourist of the Jewish faith, who was targeted in the center of Rome because he was wearing a kippah. To him and to the entire Jewish community, I express my full solidarity,” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani wrote on social media.
“We cannot accept that antisemitism and hatred against Jews find a place in our cities and in our society. We must react together, without ever underestimating or tolerating these incidents,” Tajani further emphasized. He concluded by assuring that “Italy is and will always remain on the side of religious freedom, respect, and living together.”
“This is yet another demonstration of how anti-Zionism and antisemitism are one and the same. It is necessary to counter every form of antisemitism and intolerance with the utmost firmness. When a person of the Jewish faith can no longer walk the streets of a city without being assaulted, it is not just the safety of a minority at stake: it is everyone’s freedom at stake,” Israeli Ambassador to Italy Jonathan Peled posted on X/Twitter.
