Amid cross-party sympathy, the former industry minister said “the proscription lists of ‘Zionists’ are clearly an invitation to violence”.
“But the problem has become a more general one,” said Calenda.
“The violence, for now verbal, ignites on social media every time Israel is discussed.
“In the last few days, a former 5-Star Movement MP, whose only profession today is to be a paid guest on the media circus, used a video of me on Israel artfully cut, punctuated by photos of Palestinian victims, to urge his follower base to attack me.
“Hence, hundreds of messages with unheard-of violence with personal threats and threats against my family, including my children.
“In 10 years of political activity I had never experienced such a level of violence.
“My ‘fault’ is having condemned those who take part in demonstrations in which they shout … ‘death to Jews’ and having denied Israel’s genocidal purpose towards the Palestinian people.
“I consider the Netanyahu government’s action unacceptable, immoral and criminal in so far as it does not respect the rules of modern warfare as far as civilian victims are concerned.
“The calls of far-right Israeli politicians are no different in gravity from those of the Hamas commanders. My position is therefore certainly not tender with Israel.
“But [I recognise] its right to defend itself within the framework of a perimeter which it is not respecting and to eliminate in a targeted way the authors of the October 7 attacks who are guests of renegade States.
“But any well-thought-out position obviously does not satisfy the opposing tribes of fans and [in this instance] generates a proscription which has dangerous consequences.
“The simplification of complex affairs into soccer stadium fandom is now an acquired fact of democracies in the time of social media.
“But instigation to violence cannot be tolerated, representing a further step towards the political and cultural abyss that is destroying democracies.”
ANSA
