ROME (JNS) – Italian police have arrested a 31-year-old Algerian man following two assaults by several men on a 22-year-old French tourist in central Rome over the weekend, according to the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI).
Moked, UCEI’s news portal, on Tuesday reported that the suspect was a homeless person with a criminal record. He allegedly belonged to a group that chanted “Free Palestine” during the attacks on the tourist, who was wearing a kippah.
Condanno con fermezza l’aggressione antisemita contro un giovane turista francese di religione ebraica, preso di mira nel centro di #Roma perché indossava la kippah. A lui e a tutta la comunità ebraica va la mia piena solidarietà.
Non possiamo accettare che l’antisemitismo e…— Antonio Tajani (@Antonio_Tajani) August 11, 2026
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani condemned the incident in a statement. “We cannot accept that antisemitism and hatred against Jews find space in our cities and in our society,” he wrote.
The victim was first assaulted with pepper spray, and was and then kicked and punched by several men, the report said. The incidents occurred between Piazza Cairoli and Largo di Torre Argentina.
UCEI President Livia Ottolenghi expressed “solidarity” with the victim, describing the attack as “extremely serious.”
The incident provides further evidence that antisemitism “is now increasingly widespread” and “is manifesting itself through attacks and violence against individuals,” she said.
Israel’s ambassador to Italy, Jonathan Peled, on X called the incident “yet another demonstration of how anti-Zionism and antisemitism are one and the same.”
Ottolenghi thanked law enforcement for its “timely intervention” and stressed the need for effective measures to prevent and combat antisemitism. She cited legislation currently under consideration in parliament as “a necessary step toward recognizing and combating a phenomenon that can no longer be underestimated or tolerated.”
“The hunt for Jews has unfortunately also reached the streets of Rome,” said Victor Fadlun, president of the Jewish Community of Rome. “We hope, as Italians, that we will not now witness growing indifference from public opinion,” he added.