At the Villoresi Ovest highway service station near Milan, 52-year-old Jewish man Elie and his six-year-old son were the victims of a serious anti-Semitic attack. The incident occurred when Elie was returning from Lake Maggiore with his son and took a break at the rest stop.
According to Elie's report to the media, the attack began at the checkout when a young man saw him wearing a kippah and shouted "Free Palestine". Other people quickly joined in, shouting slogans such as "murderer" and "genocide". When Elie tried to film the situation with his cell phone, it escalated.
On leaving the toilets, Elie was surrounded by around ten people who demanded that he delete the video. When he refused, he was pushed to the ground by several attackers and "kicked in the stomach like animals". He briefly lost sight of his son, who was fortunately brought to safety by a woman. Elie called for the police, whereupon the attackers fled.
The arriving police questioned Elie, but he had the impression that the incident was being played down. The shocked father and his crying son did not make the journey home. Elie expressed his disappointment at the event in Italy, a country he had previously considered tolerant and safe. He sees the incident as confirmation of a growing climate of hatred in Europe.
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