Live UpdateFrom the Liveblog of Thursday, March 9, 2023

With Netanyahu en route, Italian PM condemns antisemitic graffiti directed at rival

By AP 9 March 2023, 5:42 pm 1 Edit

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni speaks during a press conference after meeting with The Netherlands' Prime Minister Mark Rutte at Chigi Palace government offices in Rome, March 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Far-right Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni condemns antisemitic graffiti directed at her main rival, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on his way to Italy for his first trip since Meloni’s victory last year.

The graffiti, which included a swastika, appeared on a wall in the city of Viterbo and was directed at Elly Schlein, the new leader of the opposition Democratic Party. Schlein, whose American father is Jewish, has been the target of antisemitic attacks throughout her political career.

In a statement, Meloni expresses solidarity with Schlein, calling her a victim of a “shameful and indecent act,” and saying the “offensive” graffiti “is to be condemned with absolute firmness.”