A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, Oct. 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco

Amid a worsening climate of anti-Israel hostility and rising antisemitism across Europe, Jews and Israelis are increasingly finding themselves targeted in public spaces, with a wave of recent incidents underscoring growing concerns over their safety and freedom.

Italian authorities arrested a 31-year-old Algerian man on Wednesday in connection with two brutal assaults on a 22-year-old French tourist in central Rome over the weekend, in a disturbing string of attacks that erupted in the heart of the Italian capital.

According to the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI), the victim — a young French Jewish tourist wearing a kippah — was targeted in a suspected antisemitic attack on Friday in Rome’s Piazza Cairoli, near the city’s historic Jewish Quarter, when an assailant allegedly sprayed him with pepper spray while shouting “Free Palestine” and other hateful slogans.

The victim was reportedly attacked a second time the following day, when the same assailant, joined by three other individuals, brutally beat him as he walked through the city center near Largo di Torre Argentina, roughly 300 meters from the site of the first assault, with the group shouting “Free Palestine” and hurling antisemitic insults.

Local police traced the attack to a 31-year-old homeless Algerian man with a criminal record, who is now in custody, while authorities continue efforts to locate the other three additional suspects.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani strongly condemned the attack, warning that antisemitism has no place in modern Italy and stressing the need for authorities and society alike to confront the resurgence of anti-Jewish hatred.

“We cannot allow antisemitism and hatred toward Jews to find a place in our cities or in our society,” the Italian foreign minister wrote in a post on X.

“Italy stands, and will always stand, firmly on the side of religious freedom, respect and peaceful coexistence,” Tajani said.

Condanno con fermezza l’aggressione antisemita contro un giovane turista francese di religione ebraica, preso di mira nel centro di #Roma perché indossava la kippah. A lui e a tutta la comunità ebraica va la mia piena solidarietà.
Non possiamo accettare che l’antisemitismo e…

— Antonio Tajani (@Antonio_Tajani) August 11, 2026

Victor Fadlun, president of the Jewish Community of Rome, also denounced the assault as part of a broader and increasingly alarming trend, warning that anti-Jewish hostility is becoming more visible in public life.

“The hunt for Jews has unfortunately also reached the streets of Rome,” Fadlun wrote in a post on X. “We hope, as Italians, that we will not witness now growing indifference from public opinion.”

Israel’s Ambassador to Italy, Jonathan Peled, described the attack as a disturbing example of the growing antisemitic hostility confronting Jews across Europe.

“This is yet another example of how anti-Zionism and antisemitism are one and the same,” Peled wrote in a post on X. “When a Jewish person can no longer walk freely through a city without being attacked, it is not merely the safety of a minority that is at risk — it is everyone’s freedom.”

Ancora una aggressione antisemita in Italia, questa volta a Roma. Un turista ebreo è stato attaccato da quattro persone al grido “free palestine”, unicamente perchè indossava la kippah. Si tratta dell’ennesima dimostrazione di come antisionismo e antisemitismo siano la medesima…

— Ambassador Jonathan Peled (@JonathanPeled) August 11, 2026

In a separate incident in France, a Jewish couple was subjected to a disturbing antisemitic confrontation at a supermarket, where an Irish tourist allegedly told them he was sorry Nazi leader Adolf Hitler had not “finished the job” before later threatening to shoot them.

According to the couple’s testimony, the confrontation began when the man approached them after noticing the husband’s French national football team shirt and hearing the couple speak English.

Even though the exchange initially remained friendly, the conversation quickly turned political after the couple said they did not support Irish government policies, particularly its strongly anti-Israel stance and support for Hamas and Hezbollah.

At that moment, the man reportedly became hostile and aggressive, telling the couple that he was sorry Hitler had not “finished the job.”

In a social media video that quickly went viral and drew roughly one million views within hours, the couple can be seen confronting the man and repeatedly asking him to repeat his remarks.

The man is then heard threatening them, saying, “Get the f**k away from me before I put a f**king bullet in your head, OK?”

The face of pure hatred. An Irish citizen visiting France, tells two Jewish visitors he’s sorry Hitler didn’t finish the job. They started videoing him and he threatens to kill them.

Identified himself as “Paddy from Ireland”. pic.twitter.com/lzDFY7chtA

— Daniel (@VoteLewko) August 11, 2026