A group of Jewish-Italian teenagers and their educators were targeted at a hotel in Bansko, Bulgaria, on Sunday after a group of alleged neo-Nazi skinheads wearing black shirts emblazoned with skull symbols attempted to force their way inside.
The group, from Rome and Milan, was participating in a program organized by the Jewish youth movement Bnei Akiva.
Bulgarian authorities have since launched a formal investigation into the actions of the group involved.
Video footage circulated on social media of the incident captured the group outside the hotel, where individuals performed Nazi salutes and shouted “Sieg Heil!” while directing threats and antisemitic chants at the premises.
The mob surrounded the building, blocked exits, and attempted to break through the doors while taunting the young delegation and their educators inside.
Local law enforcement was called to the scene, prompting police to disperse the group outside the hotel. However, the group reportedly returned to block the building’s entrances once officers intervened.
Bnei Akiva details security response
The incident was initially reported by Italian media as having taken place in Sofia, before Bulgaria’s Regional Directorate of the Interior Ministry in Blagoevgrad later clarified to the Bulgarian News Agency that the confrontation actually occurred in the mountain resort of Bansko.
The Jerusalem Post has learned from a representative of World Bnei Akiva, in a statement, that after conducting comprehensive security assessments, “Bulgaria was selected this year after careful consideration of a range of security factors, including its comparatively lower levels of antisemitic incidents.”
According to the statement, the incident occurred on the final night of the camp shortly after midnight; “the camp staff immediately instructed all participants to return to their rooms in order to avoid any potential confrontation. At the same time, the camp’s security personnel and hotel staff responded promptly, dispersed the group from the immediate vicinity of the hotel, and notified the local police. Police officers attended the scene, subsequently located the individuals involved, and advised that appropriate steps would be taken in response.”
The statement further said that “Throughout the incident, security personnel maintained control of access to the hotel and continued to monitor the situation closely” and that “incidents of this nature will not deter us from continuing to provide meaningful educational programs that strengthen Jewish and Zionist identity and deepen the connection of young Jews to the State of Israel and the Jewish people.”
Italian leaders condemn antisemitic attack
Victor Fadlun, president of the Jewish community of Rome, also detailed the incident on social media, saying that “our children are not free to travel in Europe without being exposed to the violence and verbal aggression of antisemites.”
Fadlun described “the ignoble provocation, the Nazi salutes and the shouts of ‘Sieg Heil!’ from a group of neo-Nazis wearing black shirts and skull symbols, who attempted to force their way into a hotel where dozens of teenagers, including those from the Jewish Community of Rome, were staying.”
Fadlun added that there were “long minutes of tension, also because after the police intervention the neo-Nazis returned and once again blocked the entrances, threatening and yelling at our boys.”
Fadlun stated that “the Jewish Community of Rome firmly condemns this latest episode of antisemitism, which targets Italian Jewish teenagers and their educators, in a country of the European Union,” and urged that “we ask the Bulgarian authorities to shed light on this aggression and to identify and prosecute those responsible as soon as possible.”
Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini condemned the incident on social media, stating: “What happened to Sofia is extremely serious. We firmly condemn every type of violence by extremists, Nazis or communists, against Jewish communities. Repugnant and unacceptable is every form of ‘Jew hunt,’ often fueled also by a climate of hatred and delegitimization that for too long someone has contributed to spreading. Solidarity with the young Italian Jews involved.”
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani responded to the incident, stating on X/Twitter: “I express my solidarity with the group of young Italian Jews who were attacked and threatened inside a hotel in Sofia. I condemn this latest episode of antisemitism, a seed that must be fought, a form of hatred and discrimination that must be eradicated. I am close to President Victor Fadlun and the Jewish Community of Rome.”
In an official press release, Italian Senate President Ignazio La Russa stated: “I express my profound outrage and firm condemnation for the very serious incident involving a group of Italian Jewish teenagers in Bulgaria. I extend my sincerest solidarity to the young people involved, their families, and the Jewish communities of Rome and Milan, who are deeply affected by what happened. Antisemitism and any form of hatred have no place in our societies. I trust that the competent authorities will quickly ascertain the facts and identify those responsible.”