Around 15% of Italians consider physical attacks on Jewish people “entirely or fairly justifiable”, according to a survey, as protests against Israel’s offensive in Gaza continue across the country.
Some 18% of those interviewed also believe antisemitic graffiti on walls and other public spaces is legitimate, according to the survey, conducted on September 24-26 by the pollster SWG among a national sample of 800 adults.
Roughly a fifth of respondents said it was reasonable to attack professors who expressed pro-Israeli positions or for businesses to reject Israeli customers, after some episodes were reported by Italian media.
Italy, scarred by 1938 antisemitic statutes under fascism, has laws punishing racial discrimination and hate crimes. The SWG poll showed that 85% of respondents believe attacking Jews is “not very or not at all justifiable”.
The SWG poll also found that a majority of those interviewed backed an international aid flotilla mission seeking to deliver supplies to Gaza. It includes Italian activists and lawmakers.
