There may never be another unified demonstration in Milan on April 25th, following yesterday's protests against a Jewish Brigade group that was "expelled" from the march. Luciano Belli Paci, son of Senator for Life Liliana Segre, who was in the square yesterday behind a Left for Israel banner, is convinced of this.
"I expected protests because we've been facing them for years, but not an operation like this," he explained to ANSA. "Being blocked and seized for a couple of hours, surrounded in front, behind, and on the sides, and then expelled from the march—I didn't expect that. I couldn't have imagined it would come to this. I thought the City Angels and the police would be sufficient to keep order, like in other years." And instead, "we went through a rough patch. Afterward, my mother called me because she was worried about my safety, and I had the same concern."
Belli Paci disagrees with the president of Milan's Jewish community, Walker Meghnagi, who accused the ANPI of inciting anti-Semitism and being "behind" yesterday's events. "Not in those terms," he clarified, "but the comments of national president Gianfranco Pagliarulo are unacceptable. Blaming those who suffered for what happened is unacceptable. This is not the ANPI I belong to and of which I would be a leader. " So will he keep his membership? "I have to think about it. I don't know if the conditions are right. Among the protesters, several were carrying ANPI handkerchiefs. To think that people from the same association joined in this barrage of insults..."
But one thing is certain: he will remain left-wing. "I'm a veteran socialist, and I won't leave the left to these people." Of course, there is some responsibility for what happened, especially "the lack of awareness of what would happen if a certain trend wasn't stopped." When things like "bullying Israeli tourists in restaurants, as if they were accountable for the actions of their country's government, we asked: 'say something,' but in cases like these, not a word from the Democratic Party, the National Association of Italian Partisans, and the unions, continued to escalate. It's not right to allow slander to continue without reacting and to simply throw everything into the pile."
And now the question of next year's demonstration remains open. "In Milan, we were proud to have avoided the disaster of Rome, where two separate demonstrations have been taking place for several years. So far, we've managed to maintain a unified demonstration on April 25th, with everyone participating. But what happened yesterday jeopardises that."
(Unioneonline)