EJC condemns wave of antisemitism directed against Italian opposition leader

(Brussels, March 14, 2023) – The European Jewish Congress strongly condemns the recent wave of antisemitism directed against the newly-elected leader of Italy’s opposition Democratic Party, Elly Schlein.

Schlein has been subjected to a torrent of vile antisemitic abuse on social media, called “a guarantor of international Judaism” and was most recently depicted with a long-pointed nose in a classic antisemitic caricature on the pages of Il Fatto Quotidiano, a daily online and print newspaper with a circulation of over half a million readers.

“This new wave of antisemitic attacks on a senior politician in Italy is of great concern. We have seen examples of local politicians tweeting vile antisemitic conspiracy theories, bringing Jew hate into the mainstream. It is incumbent on political leaders in Italy to condemn such manifestations of Jew-hate and to place it firmly outside any political dialogue”, Raya Kalenova, EJC Executive Vice President said.

The EJC stands in solidarity with Ms. Schlein and with our friends and colleagues in the Italian Jewish community faced with this recent wave of antisemitism.