Noemi Di Segni, President of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI), has raised concerns regarding the rise of antisemitic incidents within Italian universities amidst the conflict in Gaza triggered by the October 7 Hamas attacks in Israel.
This concern follows the decision of the Senate of Turin University to abstain from participating in a scientific collaboration with Israel as a protest against civilian casualties in Gaza. The decision came after pro-Palestinian left-wing groups occupied the university building.
Additionally, Maurizio Molinari, an editor at La Repubblica, was prevented from speaking at a university event in Naples.
Di Segni emphasized that “every conceivable boundary has been breached, and apprehension regarding the university environment is escalating.”
She urged Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Minister of Higher Education and Research Anna Maria Bernini, and the Conference of Italian University Rectors (CRUI) to ensure the comprehensive implementation of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism across all Italian universities. This includes unequivocally stating that all forms of boycott and demonization constitute antisemitism.
Di Segni asserted, “The disruption within the Italian university system cannot be tolerated.”
