Italian politicians across the spectrum joined Jewish
organizations in voicing their protest to an extreme decision
by a small, leftist trade union to launch a boycott of Jewish-
owned stores in reaction to the Israeli operation in Gaza. At
first the trade union posted on the Internet a list of stores
in Rome that sell Israeli products, but the products
continued to sell. Later the organization distributed
leaflets claiming, "The slaughter in Gaza is a crime against
Palestinians and against humanity. Since street
demonstrations have been ineffective stores selling products
from Israel should be boycotted. Only economic measures will
arouse a reaction from the greedy Israelis."
Jewish community leaders in Rome expressed their outrage,
comparing the call to the antisemitic race laws fascist
dictator Benito Mussolini adopted in 1938 and saying they
would sue the union. Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno denounced the
boycott and as a sign of protest went shopping with community
president Riccardo Pacifici at Jewish-owned stores in the
historic ghetto neighborhood and at blacklisted stores.
Reporters from la Repubblica, Italy's leading daily
newspaper, said they found it hard to believe a blacklist had
actually been compiled, but when they arrived in the areas
mentioned, storekeepers held up the pages "in trembling
hands." According to one article, "the next step is posting
yellow badges at the entrance to the stores."
"For 50 years we've taken good care of the Jews, who suffered
so much during the Holocaust," said boycott organizer
Giancarlo Desiderati, who claims to represent 8,000 retail
workers in the Italian capital. "Now we're taking care of the
Palestinians suffering in Gaza. They are the Jews of today."
He quickly denied there was a boycott of stores, saying only
Israeli products were being boycotted. "We're not racists or
antisemites and we never intended to boycott the Jews'
stores. We're showing solidarity with the Jewish community of
Rome, which suffered in the past and is made up of honest
citizens and workers. There has never been any list of stores
in the Jewish community that we decided to boycott. We feel
an obligation to protest against the government of Israel,
which is butchering innocent civilians," and called on the
public not to buy products whose barcode number starts with
729, indicating goods imported from Israel.
Last weekend numerous antisemitic posters condemning
Operation Cast Lead could be seen pasted on walls and fences
in Rome. The Mayor was also branded "a Jew and a Zionist."
Children's clothing stained with a red liquid the color of
blood had been affixed to one storefront with a large sign
reading, "Closed for business to mourn the slaughter in
Gaza."
In Venice a group of hooligans broke into the offices of
Israeli shipping company Zim and went on a rampage, causing
extensive damage with iron rods while yelling anti-Israel
slogans and calling for the liberation of Gaza. On the walls
they wrote in blood, "Israel is an executioner" and "Free
Palestine." Italian workers at the site confronted the
intruders and drove them away and police launched an
investigation in an attempt to arrest the attackers.
Virulent anti-Israel demonstrations were held in other
Italian cities last weekend, but the Italian government has
expressed sympathy for Israel's difficulties in its struggle
against Hamas.
