An engraving of a Star of David accompanied by a threatening writing was discovered yesterday on the door of the room of a law professor at the University of Florence. The university itself announced this, explaining that it had reported the incident to the competent authorities. “The entire community of the Department of Legal Sciences and the School of Law condemns the very serious gesture which takes us back to the darkest years of recent European history and warns us of the need to firmly monitor any resurgence of anti-Semitism”, reads the note disseminated by the University. “It is not acceptable that the international situation is used as a pretext to fuel demonstrations of this type.” In the Florentine university complex, as in other Italian universities, pro-Palestinian demonstrations calling for a boycott of Israel have been growing for weeks.
For University Minister Anna Maria Bernini, what happened in Florence “is a disgusting act, a shameful attempt to turn back the clock on history which is horrifying.” The minister expressed solidarity with the teacher who was the victim of the episode, hoping that the university will be “a place of discussion, inclusiveness, free thought”.
In recent hours, the Union of Young Jews of Italy has also condemned the episode. «To state that what is happening in universities does not have a relapse into anti-Jewish hatred is equivalent to denying the evidence», underline from Ugei.
