Italy: Jewish institutions in Rome receive pigs' heads by mail

Several days prior to International Holocaust Remembrance day on 27 January, Jewish addresses in Rome were targeted with an insult. The Italian media reported that three Jewish institutions received packages by mail with pigs’ heads in them; anti-Jewish graffiti turned up in several places in Rome as well.

Representatives of the Italian Jewish community and of City Hall expressed outrage over the incidents, which police are investigating. The packages were delivered to the main synagogue in Rome, to the Israeli Embassy, and to the Jewish Museum, which features an exhibit on the Holocaust.    

The packages received on Friday, 24 January contained no messages or other information as to who sent them. A special Italian Police unit focusing on serious criminal activity and terrorism has begun investigating. 

Renzo Gattegna, head of the Union of Italian Jewish Societies, called the incident a "disturbing threat that has sparked alarm and bitterness". In a statement quoted by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), Gattegna said: "This is a repulsive act with all of the traits of a mafia proceedings… Italian Jews are not afraid and will never fear those who make such an obvious display of their barbaric behavior and deep ignorance."   

Gattegna also expressed appreciation for the stance of the Italian authorities, who he believes are taking a determined, professional approach toward ensuring the security of Jewish communities and institutions in the country. Mayor Ignazio Marino expressed his solidarity with the Jewish community and called the offensive packages a "shameful act".  

"Whoever perpetrated this has offended the entire city," the mayor declared. JTA also reported that anti-Jewish graffiti was spray-painted on a wall in a particular quarter of Rome over the weekend of 25 January reading "Anne Frank was a liar" and "The Holocaust is a lie". 

The authors of that graffiti are denying the genocide of Jewish people, six million of whom were murdered by Nazi Germany during the Second World War. They are also insulting the memory of Anne Frank, a German Jewish girl who became posthumously famous worldwide thanks to her diary, in which she described the fate of her family members, who were persecuted by the Nazis.