Hitler Kisses Netanyahu: Italian Street Artist’s Disgusting Antisemitic Mural Ignites Fury 

A grotesque act of antisemitism has erupted in Rome. On the night of May 25-26, 2025, a provocative mural by the notorious Italian street artist Laika appeared on Basilio Bricci Street, directly in front of Manara High School. Titled “The Final Solution”, a chilling nod to the Nazi plan to exterminate Jews during the Holocaust, the mural depicts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu kissing Adolf Hitler, sparking global outrage for its blatant antisemitism and inflammatory falsehoods.

The mural, described as having “strong visual impact,” portrays Hitler in his recognizable military uniform with caricatured features common in political satire, locked in a paradoxical kiss with Netanyahu, who is shown in formal attire. The imagery suggests a grotesque approval by the Nazi dictator of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, a comparison that is both historically obscene and deeply offensive.

Laika defended the work on social media, stating, “I chose an extreme image to shake the press and public opinion,” but her justification veered into dangerous territory, recycling classic antisemitic tropes under the guise of political critique.

In a statement accompanying the mural, Laika accused the Israeli government, backed by the United States and the European Union, specifically Italy and Germany, of “carrying out a systematic operation of annihilation of the Palestinian people.” She labeled Israel’s military operations, specifically referencing “Operation ‘Chariots of Gideon,’” as “ethnic cleansing,” claiming the Israeli army has “occupied 81 percent of the [Gaza] strip and reduced the civilian population to starvation.”

Laika further described Gaza as “an open-air prison, now almost completely razed to the ground, in which tens of thousands of civilians, including more than 20,000 children, have died.” Citing unverified figures often attributed to Hamas, she alleged the “next phase will be the deportation of the survivors.”

Laika also accused Italy and Germany of being “on the wrong side of history” for supporting Israel, stating, “Europe has sanctioned Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, but is silent in the face of Israeli crimes.”

In a particularly vile passage, she called on Jewish communities to “turn their backs on Netanyahu,” arguing, “Those who experienced pain as great as the Holocaust cannot accept the atrocities in Gaza.” She even claimed, “We have learned nothing from the past. The end of Gaza will also coincide with our end in terms of democracy and the defense of human rights.”

The artist also singled out the Italian government, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, for its “pro-life” stance while remaining “indifferent to the deaths of thousands of children.” She cited the unverified case of “Alaa al-Najjar, a pediatrician and mother, to whom an Israeli missile killed nine of her 10 children a few days ago.”

This incident comes amid a rising wave of anti-Israel sentiment in Italy, where reports have surfaced of Israeli customers being expelled from cafes, shops displaying “No entry for Israelis” or “Zionists are not welcome here” signs, and antisemitic slurs targeting both Israelis and Italian Jews perceived as pro-Israel.