Several people harassed a Jewish father and his son while waiting in line for the bathroom at a rest stop in Milan, Italy, Italian news outlet Corriere Della Sera reported on Monday.
On Sunday evening, the father, 52, and his six-year-old son, both wearing kippot, were waiting in line for the bathroom at the rest stop along the Milano-Laghi highway near Lainate when several people approached them and shouted "Murderers," "Go to hell," "Go back to your country," and "Free Palestine."
The father recorded the incident on his phone, in which several people can be seen shouting at the two, who responded in French.
The incident was reported to the highway police in Busto Arsizio. Italy's anti-terror unit, Digos, is investigating the incident and is reviewing the CCTV footage.
"My father-in-law lives in France and nothing like this has ever happened to him there," the victim's Italian son-in-law told Corriere Della Sera. "In Italy, however, people have no issue with assaulting a father in front of a child. That's where our beautiful country is heading. Unfortunately, we Jews must live in fear."
The victim was visiting his oldest daughter in Milan, where she lives with her husband. When they arrived at the rest stop, the daughter decided to stay in the rental car, worried it might be vandalized. Her father took the child into the rest stop to use the bathroom.
Several people then approached them and started attacking them verbally after noticing the kippas on their heads.
The father recorded the altercation on his phone before running into the bathroom. He then called his son-in-law, who had already left the rest stop.
"As soon as I got back on the highway, my father-in-law called," the son-in-law said. "At first, all I heard was screaming. Then in French, he said, 'Call the police, call the police, they're waiting for me upstairs, they want to beat me up."
The son-in-law called the police, who arrived at the same time as him at the rest stop. "By the time I got there, the police had arrived, and the attackers had fled. My father-in-law was outside the Autogrill, with broken glasses and visible bruises."
"They waited for him outside of the bathroom and tried to stop him from returning upstairs," he continued. "They demanded he delete the video. He refused, and the situation escalated. They began shoving him and physically assaulting him. They broke his glasses, threw him to the ground, and kicked and punched him. Initially, three people attacked him, but a woman and an elderly man later joined in, taking advantage of his vulnerable state."
The child was left unharmed but witnessed the ordeal. "He was obviously shaken seeing his father being beaten. I don't understand how things can go so far."
The family filed a formal complaint with the highway police.
The son-in-law added that he now wears a hat over his kippa when going outside in Italy due to the fear of being harassed or physically assaulted.
Reactions from public
Director of the Jewish Brigade Museum, Davide Romano, said that the attack "once again shows how antisemitism is growing in our country." Romano called on the proper authorities to identify and prosecute the attackers quickly.
"This is not only about enforcing hate crime laws," he said. "But also about protecting Milan's good name and its tradition of hospitality."
He also urged politicians to be cautious with rhetoric.
"The danger of some slogans is no longer theoretical but documented in daily incidents and attacks," he said. "History teaches us that when hate is incited, everyone pays the price - not just Jews."
"Is it really 'normal' to assault Jews over what's happening in Gaza?" City Councilor Daniele Nahum questioned. "Is it acceptable to tell people to 'go back to your country' when they hold citizenship in another state? I expect a strong and clear condemnation from all institutions."
President of the Jewish Community in Milan, Walker Meghnagi, condemned the attack.
"The man was physically attacked, his glasses broken, his phone targeted for deletion of the footage," he said. "This was a savage assault on a French Jewish family - yet another manifestation of dangerously rising antisemitism."
"These out-of-control reactions stem from a climate of hate fueled by political and media rhetoric," he said, calling on the authorities to move swiftly. "It's essential that political leaders put an end to this escalation. Our community stands with our fellow Jews who were attacked so viciously - an act completely unrelated to the tragic situation in the Middle East."
“A father and child were attacked verbally and physically just for being Jewish and wearing a kippah,” Head of the Fratelli d'Italia parliamentary group, Galeazzo Bignami, said. “Even if the facts must still be fully verified, the context speaks of a dangerous and unsettling climate—fueled by reckless statements from certain political opposition figures.”
"There is a difference between legitimate criticism of Netanyahu's government and turning it into a hunt for Jews," he added. "I extend my solidarity to the victims and call on opposition parties to stop using Gaza as a campaign slogan."
“If simply being visibly Jewish is enough to be violently assaulted, and if a family can’t walk freely in a public space, then antisemitism has gone viral,” President of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities, Noemi Di Segni, said. “It’s everyone’s freedom that’s at risk. Only respect and human dignity can protect us all.”
"This vile and ignoble act against a father and his six-year-old son must be firmly and unequivocally condemned," Senate President Ignazio La Russa said on Facebook. "I extend my heartfelt solidarity to them. While we await full clarity from authorities, I reaffirm my strong support for the Jewish community and denounce this antisemitic aggression in the strongest terms."