“Let’s save Pride parades from violence and discrimination.” This is the message issued by Keshet, Italy’s only Jewish LGBTQ+ organisation, following incidents at the Naples Pride parade held on 27 June.
The group has denounced what it described as “a group of violent marchers who blocked the float we were on”, saying the situation escalated rapidly during the event. According to Keshet, activists were forced to barricade themselves backstage for their own safety and were subsequently prevented from leaving when a group of demonstrators allegedly blocked the exit while shouting “Zionists out of the Pride”.
Keshet further reported that, while backstage, its members were insulted and had objects and liquids thrown at them. The organisation also said it was ultimately prevented from speaking on stage. The decision, organisers reportedly said, was taken on public order grounds due to the display of “symbols”. Keshet, however, argued that being barred from speaking because of Jewish identity markers amounted to discrimination, stating that preventing participation on these grounds constitutes “antisemitic and racial discrimination”.
Speaking to Pagine Ebraiche, Keshet Italia president Raffaele Sabbadini expressed disappointment over the events. He said the march had initially proceeded peacefully, with the organisation participating on the second float alongside other Pride-affiliated associations. “The situation deteriorated at the end when a group of about twenty people confronted the float and began shouting ‘murderers’,” he said, adding that some individuals chased participants backstage, prompting police intervention.
In a statement, Keshet described the events as reflecting “pack dynamics, squadrism and fascism”, calling for stronger protections for minority groups participating in public demonstrations.
Ariel Heller, president of Keshet Europe, said that a broader response from civil society was needed, stressing: “We were not excluded because of what we were doing, but because of who we are.”
Commenting on social media platform X, Livia Ottolenghi, President of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI), condemned the incident, stating that “a violent, arbitrary and antisemitic act” had taken place in Naples. She contrasted it with what she described as a moment of unity at Rome Pride a week earlier, and criticised the targeting of individuals “guilty only of wearing a kippah and being Jewish”.
She also thanked local organisers Arcigay Naples and its president Antonello Sannino for what she described as a clear and immediate defence of Keshet members’ right to participate in the parade.
The incident has reignited debate in Italy over security, inclusion and political tensions within Pride events, and over the protection of minority voices within LGBTQ+ spaces.
