Following the October 7th massacre, there was growing solidarity with Israel among Italians.
On October 10th, ordinary Italian citizens and politicians from across the spectrum stood side by side in support of Israelis and the Italian-Jewish community.
Today, however, over four months since the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust, the sentiment is not the same. Public opinion has reversed its course.
Over the last two weeks, the slogan “Stop the Genocide” has been widely used both in social communications and in demonstrations that have proliferated in support of Palestine. Even when South Africa brought the charge of genocide to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, this phenomenon did not occur.
What triggered the spread of this slogan in Italy?
On February 10th, Ghali, the popular Italian-Tunisian singer, called out “Stop the Genocide” on stage at the San Remo Italian Song Festival, one of the most popular events of the year on Italian television.
As many Zionists recall, San Remo hosted the 1920 conference after WWI, during which it was agreed that the Balfour Declaration would become a binding international treaty.
While millions of Italians watched the song festival, San Remo transitioned from a beacon of hope for the Jewish people in their journey back to their ancestral homeland to a platform where a grave and false accusation against Israel was made.
Instead of incorrectly accusing Israel of indiscriminately killing Palestinians, the stage could have been a platform to spread messages of support and solidarity. But no one thought to call for the release of the babies, elderly people, men, and women that Hamas kidnapped over 140 days ago. No one made mention of the violent sexual crimes that Hamas terrorists carried out against Israeli women and men. No one sent a message of love and unity for the hundreds of young people murdered and kidnapped at the Nova Music Festival.
The day after Ghali’s statement, Israeli supporters and the Jewish communities in Italy protested. The CEO of RAI, the public broadcaster that organized the festival, issued an official statement expressing solidarity with Israel and the Italian Jewish community, noting that its news programs report on the Israeli hostages daily.
In the Italian Parliament, it also became clear that the view of the lawmakers was very different than that of the public. It adopted motions strongly condemning the events of October 7th, blaming Hamas for the situation, expressing solidarity with Israel, recognizing Israel’s right to self-defense, and demanding the release of the hostages before the implementation of a ceasefire.
But the public doesn’t share these sentiments and has used every opportunity to prove it.
While few protested Ghali’s statement, numerous demonstrations took place in front of the RAI offices across Italy, using Ghali’s song as a soundtrack as they called to “Stop the Genocide.” The head of RAI was even assigned an escort to ensure his safety as the demonstrations intensified.
Every day, “Stop the Genocide” banners are hung on universities, schools, streets, and bridges. In late February, some Italian unions called for a workers’ strike, not to demand their rights, but instead to demand an end to the genocide. Israeli flags were burned, and supermarkets selling Israeli products were attacked.
A simple yet dangerously misleading slogan that is easy to chant hides the reality of what happened on October 7th. It ignores what has been happening since October 7th. It fuels hatred against Israel and Jewish communities worldwide. It also harms the Palestinian civilians who suffer every day at the hands of Hamas.
Rather than incorrectly implying that Israel is perpetrating genocide, calling for the release of the hostages and the surrender of Hamas would be the appropriate, fair, and humane thing to do because it would allow for an end to Israeli and Palestinian suffering alike.
Daniel Citone is Vice President of Solomon - Observatory on Discrimination, an Italian-based NGO combating antisemitism and other forms of discrimination. Mr. Citone was the president of Bnai Brith Europe between 2015 and 2017.
This op-ed is published in partnership with a coalition of organizations that fight antisemitism across the world. Read the previous article by Marc Greendorfer and Ron Machol.