World
Rottweiler set upon Jewish tourists in Venice in ‘despicable act’
The couple tried to flee but were chased by the mob
September 12, 2025 13:10
The couple tried to flee but were chased by the mob
September 12, 2025 13:10A Jewish couple on holiday in Venice were reportedly attacked by a group of 10 men, one of whom set a rottweiler on the pair, in a “cowardly and despicable act”.
The couple, who come from the US and Israel and wear Orthodox clothing, were surrounded by the group on Sunday night as they walked along the Strada Nuova, one of the main shopping thoroughfares in the northern Italian city.
They tried to flee, but were chased by the group, who chanted “Free Palestine”, according to Italian news agency AGI.
One of alleged assailants unmuzzled the dog and set it on the couple, another struck the man while a third hurled a glass bottle which shattered and injured the woman's ankle.
Police officers who were at the scene already intervened and arrested three men. One of the men arrested, a 31-year-old Tunisian, has now been banned from entering Venice for two years. Two of the men were found to be illegal immigrants and were taken to a detention centre for deportation, with local media reporting that one has already been deported.
Venetian Mayor Luigi Brugnaro condemned the “unacceptable act”, saying: "Venice is and must continue to be an open, welcoming, and safe city, where mutual respect is the foundation of civil coexistence.
"This attack is a serious and unacceptable act, which I condemn in the strongest terms. We firmly say 'no' to any resurgence of antisemitism, as well as to Islamophobia. Venice will never tolerate any form of hatred or discrimination."
The Jewish Community of Venice called the incident a "cowardly and despicable act".
The latest attack has chilling echoes of another incident that reportedly took place in the city – home to the oldest ghetto in Europe – last month.
In that case, three men allegedly harassed an American Jewish man and his pregnant wife before throwing a bottle of water over them, spitting at them and calling one of them a "dirty Jew". A dog was reportedly set on this couple too.
The three suspects are then said to have stolen the couple's phones, before fleeing.
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