Rights group expelled from Bologna Pride after anti-Israel chants turn confrontational

A coalition of LGBTQ+ rights advocates and political activists faced aggressive opposition during Italy’s Rivolta Pride 2026 parade Sunday, with organizers ejecting participants displaying Iranian monarchy symbols and Israeli affiliation markers despite their nonviolent stance.

According to accounts from the Radical Party’s delegation, approximately 20,000 attendees participated in this year’s “No Pride in Genocide”-themed demonstration when tensions erupted around the six-member group. Members included an Iranian photographer showcasing historical pre-revolutionary Iranian imagery, a Jewish participant wearing a rainbow flag with the Star of David, and Italian Radical Party members engaged in civil rights activism.

Eyewitness testimony describes immediate confrontation: “Within 20 seconds, we were physically intimidated through coordinated pushing and verbal abuse under Anti-Semitic chants,” the Radical Party reported documenting the incident through photographic and video evidence. Testimonies via megaphone recordings captured Anti-Israel slogans including “Zionists out of the march” and “Free Palestine” directed at the group before authorities intervened to prevent further escalation.

The expelled group’s digital statement highlights growing concerns within LGBTQ+ communities: “With systemic rise of Anti-Semitism in 2024-2025, Jewish LGBTQ+ individuals face unprecedented exclusion attempts globally. This marks the second expulsion of Israeli-affiliated LGBTQ+ groups in Italy this year after Rome Pride’s recent ban of Keshet Italia for refusing to designate Israeli actions as genocide.

International condemnation emerged swiftly from diplomatic channels: Israel’s Permanent Representative to Italy Jonathan Peled denounced the removal as “fundamental violation of democratic principles,” contrasting Italian Pride organizers’ position with Tel Aviv’s inclusive demonstrations that welcomed multi-faith participants. The Bologna Pride organization maintained their stance, asserting the ejected group’s symbols constituted “Zionist propaganda” incompatible with their Anti-Genocide principles, while acknowledging Anti-Iranian regime activists’ permitted participation through alternative channels.

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