Living Tragedy in Italy
Holocaust Echoes: Son of Auschwitz Survivor Barred from Peace Talk at Venice University
Pro-Palestinian activists prevent Holocaust survivor's son from speaking at Ca' Foscari University peace event, drawing parallels to historical persecution and sparking political backlash.
An event advocating for a two-state solution at the prestigious Ca’ Foscari University in Venice was shut down yesterday by pro-Palestinian activists, who physically prevented former Jewish Member of Parliament Emanuele Fiano from speaking.
The incident, which saw activists interrupt the debate with anti-Israel chants and banners, drew immediate condemnation from across the Italian political spectrum and spotlighted the growing suppression of discourse on university campuses.
Fiano Likens Expulsion to Father's Holocaust Trauma
Emanuele Fiano, 62, currently serving as the secretary of the political group Left for Israel, was scheduled to discuss “perspectives for peace in the Middle East.” However, his attempt to engage was quickly blocked.
Videos shared by Left for Israel on social media platform X showed activists holding a banner that read: “Zionists out of the university.”
Fiano, the son of an Auschwitz survivor, expressed profound shock over the incident, drawing a powerful historical parallel.
“I tried everything I could to continue, but they kept on talking and telling lies about me,” Fiano told the Italian daily La Repubblica. “I’m shocked by what happened. The last time they expelled a Fiano from a place of study was my father in 1938.”
Fiano’s father, Nedo, was expelled from his public school in Florence at age 13 following Italy’s 1938 anti-Jewish laws, and later survived the Auschwitz concentration camp.
The former MP stressed the group's intention was purely diplomatic:
"We were there to discuss peace between two peoples, injustice, pain, violence and peace. Anyone who doesn’t want to hear about these things doesn’t want peace.”
University Environment Under Scrutiny
The political clash in Venice takes place within a climate of increasing academic tension.
Last month, Ca’ Foscari University itself approved a controversial resolution to suspend all collaborations with Israeli universities in light of the ongoing war in Gaza. Critics argue this institutional stance has emboldened activists to further restrict pro-Israel or even pro-peace Jewish voices on campus.
The prevention of Fiano's talk has been universally denounced by Italian politicians, who condemned the attempt to stifle dialogue and exclude a Jewish public figure, whose family history is intrinsically tied to fascist persecution, from a venue of public debate.