Two young Argentine Jewish tourists in Milan were violently assaulted by a group of about 10-12 North African migrants for wearing a Kippah, Italian outlets reported on Wednesday.
The Italian newspaper La Stampa reports that the incident occurred on late Sunday night outside a 24-hour supermarket in Milan’s Piazzale Siena. Upon leaving the supermarket, the two Jewish men were approached by a group of about of “apparent North African origin,” who hurled antisemitic slurs at the pair in response to their kippahs.
The men then surrounded, mocked, and insulted the Jewish men before the verbal aggression escalated into a physical one. The newspaper Corriere de la Sera detailed the assailants yelled “f*c**ng Jews” at the men before violently assaulting the pair in a sudden attack that left one of the victims with a broken nose.
The local outlet Milano Today detailed that one of the Jewish men, aged 19, tried to fight back but was punched in the face. Emergency services were immediately called and paramedics and police officers arrived at the scene.
The 19-year-old teenager was reportedly taken to the emergency room at Milan’s San Carlo Borromeo Hospital. According to Milano Today, the two tourists already left for Argentina.
Carabinieri officials from Porta Genova station and the Provincial Command Information Unit are reportedly investigating the incident. Due to the antisemitic nature of the attack, investigators from the Via della Moscova Information Unit are also reportedly involved in the investigation.
The newspaper Corriere della Sera explained that the ongoing investigation is based on footage from CCTV cameras in the area as well as analysis of cell phone data covering the streets around Piazzale Siena. The newspaper pointed out searches in the area, which is close to the Jewish quarter of Via Bartolomeo d’Alviano and Viale San Gimignano, did not lead to the identification of the attackers.
The incident has been included in reports collected by the Observatory for Security against Discriminatory Acts (OSCAD) — and pointed out that reports of discriminatory acts collected by the government organization “have been increasing in recent years,” without further specifics.
Walker Meghnagi, president of the Jewish community of Milan, warned the Jewish community on Monday to strengthen controls on schools and synagogues in light of the United States and Israel’s military operations in Iran and the death of Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
“We must be careful. We have asked the prefect to strengthen surveillance of our schools, our temples, our freedoms, but on the other hand, we cannot shut ourselves away. We are Italians and we must be respected for that. We are free, we cannot hide, we are a free people and we must fight for our freedom,” he said.