Italy's far-left 'New Communist' party blacklists Jews, Israel supporters as 'Zionist agents'

Read this article in:

A radical Italian far-left “New Communist Party” published a blacklist of approximately 150 Jews, Israelis and Italian citizens who support Israel and are labeled as “Zionist agents in the country who must be condemned and fought against.”

The controversial list includes businesspeople, politicians, journalists and intellectuals in Italian society. In addition, Israeli businesses operating in Italy, such as Ahava, SodaStream, Electra and defense company Elbit also appear on the list.

The names of specific individuals, such as the president of Italy’s Jewish community, Noemi Di Segni, the Chief Rabbi of the Jewish community in Rome Riccardo Di Segni, and the former Italian Ambassador to Israel Luigi Mattiolo, are also listed.

The conservative ruling party, “Brothers of Italy,” condemned the list and urged left-wing parties to denounce the discrimination. The center-left Democratic Party blasted the New Communist Party as an “anti-Semitic organization.”

“In recent hours, an anti-Semitic organization calling itself the New Communist Party has circulated a blacklist targeting individuals, organizations, and companies that it claims should be targeted and boycotted due to their ties to Israel and the Jewish world. This is yet another in a long line of anti-Semitic actions that harken back to a very dark period in Europe’s history. We extend our support and solidarity to all those involved,” several Democratic Party parliamentarians said in a joint statement.

Italian Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano rejected the list and expressed his support with the Italian-Jewish community and others who support Israel.

“There is no place in our society for any act of intolerance or harm to freedom of expression and thought,” the minister said.

The president of the Italian Senate, Ignazio La Russa, also condemned the list and accused the "New Communist" of undermining freedom of expression.

“It is deeply troubling that the Communist Party has published on its website a list of politicians, journalists, and businesspeople ‘guilty’ of supporting Israel. This is a serious and unacceptable act, a violation of freedom of thought, and a worrying threat to the personal security of those named.”

The Jewish community in Rome also condemned the list and issued a warning about the rising tide of antisemitism in Italian society.

“This blacklist is yet another alarming sign of the resurgence of anti-Semitism, which is increasingly raising its head and voice, and the level of its threat.”

Italy is home to one of the oldest Jewish communities in Europe, numbering around 30,000 people. The Jewish community has existed in the city since Roman times.

While antisemitism has generally been more moderate in Italy than in neighboring France, hatred against Jews has been on the rise since the war began on Oct. 7 massacre, when Hamas invaded the Gaza border with Israel and murdered 1,200 men, women and children.

Italy’s right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has described herself as a strong supporter of the Jewish state.

In September 2022, Meloni praised Israel as the only true democracy in the Middle East.

“Israel represents the only fully-fledged democracy in the broader Middle East, and we defend without any reservations its right to exist and live in security. I believe that the existence of the State of Israel is vital, and Fratelli d’Italia will make every effort to invest in greater cooperation between our countries,” Meloni stated.