Italy’s leader denounces antisemitism; pro-Palestinian rally is moved from Holocaust Remembrance Day

By NICOLE WINFIELD and PAOLO SANTALUCIA
Associated Press

ROME (AP) — Italy’s president has denounced the rise in antisemitism and delivered a powerful speech in support of the Jewish people. President Sergio Mattarella commemorated Holocaust Remembrance Day, which has been overshadowed by Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and a rise in anti-Israel acts in Italy. Also Friday, Rome’s police chief ordered pro-Palestinian activists to postpone a rally in the capital that had been scheduled for Saturday, the actual day of Holocaust Remembrance. Israel’s Jewish community has complained that such protests have become occasions for the memory of the Holocaust to be co-opted by anti-Israel forces and used against Jews.