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New Mural in Milan Against Antisemitism Vandalized, Stars of David Again Defaced

The defaced mural “Halt! Stoj!” by AleXsandro Palombo. Photo: Provided
Two more murals by Italian contemporary artist aleXsandro Palombo in Milan, Italy, that draw attention to antisemitism and the Holocaust were vandalized shortly after they debuted on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, The Algemeiner has learned.
In honor of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp on Jan. 27, Palombo created two large murals that focused on antisemitism and denial, and paid tribute to three of the last living Italian survivors of the Holocaust and the Auschwitz concentration camp. All the Stars of David on the two street artworks were defaced by vandals.
In the first mural, the large blue Star of David has been removed from the Israeli flag draped over the shoulders of Italian-Hungarian writer and poet Edith Bruck as she stands under the words “Arbeit macht frei” (“Work makes you free”), which is the motto featured on the main gate of Auschwitz. The mural is aptly titled “Arbeit macht frei.”
Palombo’s second mural features Bruck as well as Italian Senator Liliana Segre and Italian author Sami Modiano. All three Holocaust survivors are depicted as characters from “The Simpsons” — a popular style for Palombo — while dressed in striped concentration camp prisoner uniforms. They also wear bulletproof vests that have yellow Stars of David on them as they stand under the words “Arbeit macht frei.”
To the left of the three Holocaust survivors is a sign that says “Halt! Stoj!” with a skull and crossbones symbol, which is seen throughout the Auschwitz concentration camp. Pope Francis is additionally portrayed with a sign on his chest that reads “antisemitism is everywhere” while with his hand he shakes a bell, to warn the world about the spread of antisemitism. All the Stars of David on the mural — titled “Halt! Stoj!” — have also been removed by vandals.

The defaced mural “Arbeit macht frei” by AleXsandro Palombo. Photo: Provided

The defaced mural “Halt! Stoj!” by AleXsandro Palombo. Photo: Provided
Last year, another mural by Palombo about antisemitism and the Holocaust was repeatedly defaced in Milan in Novemberand then completed painted over by antisemites in December. He has since recreated that defaced mural, and it was recently acquired by the Shoah Museum in Rome, where it will be a part of the institution’s permanent collection. It is now on display in front of the ancient complex Portico d’Ottavia in the historic Jewish ghetto of Rome.
“The repeated attacks on works of street art dedicated to the memory [of the Holocaust] and portraying survivors of Auschwitz not only cause infinite bitterness, but also show how the value of democracy and all our freedoms are in danger,” Palombo said in a statement. “Segre wanted the word ‘indifference’ to become a warning, the key to understanding the cause of evil, and it is clear that those who continue to be indifferent to these repeated antisemitic outrages become accomplices to this terrible social, civil and cultural drift.”
Mario Venezia, president of the Shoah Museum in Rome, described the vandalism of Palombo’s new murals as “despicable.” She said the museum is working with Palombo to recreate the defaced artworks.
“Edith Bruck, Liliana Segre, and Sami Modiano, with their tireless commitment to dialogue, have always chosen the path of constructive confrontation, speaking to thousands of young people and interacting with civil and religious institutions. And yet the acrimony of the haters has struck again, defacing the works that the artist aleXsandro Palombo had dedicated to them,” she said. “This time, too, we will not remain silent. We are already working to restore what has been violated, forcefully reaffirming our message. We do so to honor the survivors, to send a clear signal to those who attack the memory [of the Holocaust] and to all those young people who, with passion and respect, support its value and legacy.”
Palombo has included a “Simpson” reference in many of his artworks. For a mural created at the Iranian Consulate in Milan in 2022, he created a lookalike of Marge Simpson but had her iconic hair cut in solidarity with Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Iranian woman who died while in custody of Iran’s morality police for not wearing a hijab correctly in accordance with the country’s Islamic laws. Carolyn Omine, the executive producer of “The Simpsons,” shared images of the mural on X.
Palombo has regularly created social-political art throughout his 30-year career. In 2015, he created a series of works titled “Never Again, The Simpsons deported to Auschwitz” and painted part of the series on the walls of the Shoah Memorial in Milan in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day in 2023. That mural has been defaced five times, including once when vandals wrote “W Hitler” and “F—k Israel” over the artwork.
In October 2024, Palombo’s mural that highlighted Vlada Patapov — a survivor of the Nova music festival massacre that took place during the Hamas-led terrorist attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, — was also defaced by vandals. In November 2023, a month after the start of the Israel-Hamas war, Palombo painted a mural that featured Holocaust victim and teenage diarist Anne Frank next to a girl from the Gaza Strip. He made a second mural of a boy from Gaza dressed as a Hamas terrorist. The boy stands next to an adult terrorist and together they point their guns at a young Jewish boy from the Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust.
The post New Mural in Milan Against Antisemitism Vandalized, Stars of David Again Defaced first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Germany’s Scholz Rebukes Vance, Defends Europe’s Stance on Hate Speech and Far Right

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks to the media after he met former prisoners following the largest prisoner exchange between Russia and the West in decades, at the military area of Cologne Bonn Airport in Cologne, Germany, August 1, 2024. Photo: Christoph Reichwein/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz delivered a strong rebuke on Saturday to US Vice President JD Vance’s attack on Europe’s stance toward hate speech and the far right, saying it was not right for others to tell Germany and Europe what to do.
Vance lambasted European leaders on Friday, the first day of the Munich Security Conference, accusing them of censoring free speech and criticizing German mainstream parties’ “firewall” against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
“That is not appropriate, especially not among friends and allies. We firmly reject that,” Scholz told the conference on Saturday, adding there were “good reasons” not to work with the AfD.
The anti-immigration party, currently polling at around 20% ahead of Germany’s February 23 national election, has pariah status among other major German parties in a country with a taboo about ultranationalist politics because of its Nazi past.
“Never again fascism, never again racism, never again aggressive war. That is why an overwhelming majority in our country opposes anyone who glorifies or justifies criminal National Socialism,” Scholz said, referring to the ideology of Adolf Hitler’s 1933-45 Nazi regime.
Vance met on Friday with the leader of AfD, after endorsing the party as a political partner — a stance Berlin dismissed as unwelcome election interference.
Referring more broadly to Vance’s criticism of Europe’s curtailing of hate speech, which he has likened to censorship, Scholz said: “Today’s democracies in Germany and Europe are founded on the historic awareness and realization that democracies can be destroyed by radical anti-democrats.
“And this is why we’ve created institutions that ensure that our democracies can defend themselves against their enemies, and rules that do not restrict or limit our freedom but protect it.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot added his voice to the defense of Europe’s stance on hate speech.
“No one is required to adopt our model but no one can impose theirs on us,” Barrot said on X from Munich. “Freedom of speech is guaranteed in Europe.”
UKRAINE
The prospect of talks to end the Ukraine-Russia war had been expected to dominate the annual Munich conference after a phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin this week, but Vance barely mentioned Russia or Ukraine in his speech to the gathering on Friday.
Instead, he said the threat to Europe that worried him most was not Russia or China but what he called a retreat from fundamental values of protecting free speech – as well as immigration, which he said was “out of control” in Europe.
Many conference delegates watched Vance’s speech in stunned silence. There was little applause as he delivered his remarks.
Asked by the panel moderator if he thought there was anything in Vance’s speech worth reflecting on, Scholz drew laughter and applause in the crowd when he responded, in a deadpan manner: “You mean all these very relevant discussions about Ukraine and security in Europe?”
The post Germany’s Scholz Rebukes Vance, Defends Europe’s Stance on Hate Speech and Far Right first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Trump Team to Start Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks in Saudi Arabia in Coming Days, Politico Reports

US Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) speaks on Day 1 of the Republican National Convention (RNC) at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US, July 15, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Mike Segar
Senior officials from US President Donald Trump’s administration will start peace talks with Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in Saudi Arabia in the coming days, Politico reported on Saturday, citing sources familiar with the plan.
US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Saudi Arabia, the report said. Special envoy for Ukraine-Russia talks, Keith Kellogg, will not be in attendance, according to the report.
The post Trump Team to Start Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks in Saudi Arabia in Coming Days, Politico Reports first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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UN Peacekeeping Mission Deputy Commander Injured After Convoy Attacked in Beirut

FILE PHOTO: A UN peacekeepers (UNIFIL) vehicle is seen next to piled up debris at Beirut’s port, Lebanon October 23, 2020. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
The outgoing deputy force commander of the United Nations Interim Force (UNIFIL) in Lebanon was injured on Friday after a convoy taking peacekeepers to Beirut airport was “violently attacked,” UNIFIL said.
The mission demanded a full and immediate investigation by Lebanese authorities and for all perpetrators to be brought to justice, it said in a statement.
Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun condemned the attack on Saturday, saying that security forces would not tolerate anyone who tries to destabilize the country, according to a statement from his office.
The French government also condemned the attack.
“France calls on the Lebanese security forces to guarantee the security of blue-helmet peacekeeping forces, and calls on Lebanon’s judicial authorities to shed all light on this unacceptable attack and to go after those responsible,” the French foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
Lebanon’s Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar called for an emergency meeting before noon on Saturday to discuss the security situation, Lebanese state news agency NNA reported.
“He affirmed the Lebanese government’s rejection of this assault that is considered a crime against UNIFIL forces,” NNA reported, citing the minister.
He also gave instructions to work on identifying the perpetrators and referring them to the relevant judicial authorities.
The minister told reporters on Saturday that more than 25 people had been detained for investigation over the attack.
The United States earlier condemned the attack. A State Department statement said the attack was carried out “reportedly by a group of Hezbollah supporters”, referring to the Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon.
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