Centrist Azione leader Carlo Calenda
on Sunday said his inclusion on a list of alleged 'Zionists' by
the new Italian Communist Party (PCI) "verges on political
violence".
Amid cross-party sympathy, the former industry minister said
"the proscription lists of 'Zionists' are clearly an invitation
to violence.
"But the problem has become a more general one. The violence,
for now verbal, ignites on social media every time Israel is
discussed.
"In the last few days a former 5-Star Movement (M5S) MP, whose
only profession today is to be a paid guest on the media circus,
used a video of me on Israel artfully cut, punctuated by photos
of Palestinian victims, to urge his follower base to attack me.
"Hence, hundreds of messages of an unheard of violence with
personal threats and threats against my family, including my
children.
"In 10 years of political activity I had never experienced such
a level of violence.
My 'fault' is having condemned those who take part in
demonstrations in which they shout slogans in Arabic of the
tenor 'death to Jews' and having denied Israel's genocidal
purpose towards the Palestinian people.
"I consider the Netanyahu government's action unacceptable,
immoral and criminal in so far as it does not respect the rules
of modern warfare as far as civilian victims are concerned.
"The calls of far right Israeli politicians are no different in
gravity from those of the Hamas commanders.
"My position is therefore certainly not tender with Israel, but
(I recognise) its right to defend itself within the framework of
a perimeter which it is not respecting and to eliminate in a
targeted way the authors of the October 7 attacks who are guests
of renegade States. But any well-thought-out position obviously
does not satisfy the opposing tribes of fans and generates a
proscription which has dangerous consequences.
"The simplification of complex affairs into soccer stadium
fandom is now an acquired fact of democracies in the time of
social media.
"But instigation to violence cannot be tolerated, representing a
further step towards the political and cultural abyss that is
destroying democracies".
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