University distances itself from law professor.Italy's university minister Anna Maria Bernini has slammed as "unacceptable" a call by a professor at the University of Palermo to unfriend Jewish people on Facebook.The shock proposal by Professor Luca Nivarra, part of the university's law faculty, sparked immediate controversy and has been widely condemned. "I don't want to meddle in matters that don't concern me directly, but, having very few tools at our disposal to oppose the Palestinian Holocaust, a signal, however modest, could be to unfriend your Jewish "friends" on Facebook, even the "good" ones, who declare themselves disgusted by what the Israeli government and the IDF are doing" - Nivarra wrote - "They lie, and with their lies, they help cover up the horror: it's a small, tiny thing, but let's start making them feel alone, face to face with the monstrosity to which they are complicit." Rector's reponse University of Palermo rector Massimo Midiri distanced the institution from what he calls "a culturally dangerous personal initiative, far from the principles of our university." "His proposal risks fuelling the very dynamics he claims to oppose", Midiri said, noting that the university has recently approved several motions relating to the conflict in Palestine, "condemning both the brutal and senseless attack by Hamas on 7 October and the subsequent Israeli military action in Gaza". Midiri recalled that the university has "firmly condemned and condemns the atrocities committed by the Israeli government in Palestine", denouncing "a conflict that continues to violate human rights and systematically target an entire population", adding: "On complex issues such as the conflict in the Middle East, the path forward must be one of dialogue and critical debate, not isolation and what approaches ideological censorship". Minister Bernini Italy's university minister Anna Maria Bernini commended the rector for expressing a "clear and necessary distancing" from Nivarra's "unacceptable" words. In a post on X, Bernini wrote: "Professor Nivarra's statements offend not only Jewish people but all those who identify with the values of respect and civil coexistence". "Conflicts are overcome through dialogue, not isolation" - she said - "and it is only through this path that an authentic journey toward peace can be built, an objective to which Italy and the international community continue to dedicate their efforts". Professor responds Nivarra responded to the controversy by dismissing accusations of anti-Semitism and hitting back at the people who posted "insults and threats" on his Facebook page. "You can continue to rant and resort to the vocabulary of teenagers lacking imagination; you can call me an anti-Semite when I am not one at all", Nivarra wrote, adding that "there is an insurmountable distance between me and the perpetrators of these horrors". Photo credit: Mijansk786 / Shutterstock.com.

Italy's university minister Anna Maria Bernini has slammed as "unacceptable" a call by a professor at the University of Palermo to unfriend Jewish people on Facebook. The shock proposal by Professor Luca Nivarra, part of the university's law faculty, sparked immediate controversy and has been widely condemned. "I don't want to meddle in matters that don't concern me directly, but, having very few tools at our disposal to oppose the Palestinian Holocaust, a signal, however modest, could be to unfriend your Jewish "friends" on Facebook, even the "good" ones, who declare themselves disgusted by what the Israeli government and the IDF are doing" - Nivarra wrote - "They lie, and with their lies, they help cover up the horror: it's a small, tiny thing, but let's start making them feel alone, face to face with the monstrosity to which they are complicit." Rector's reponse University of Palermo rector Massimo Midiri distanced the institution from what he calls "a culturally dangerous personal initiative, far from the principles of our university." "His proposal risks fuelling the very dynamics he claims to oppose", Midiri said, noting that the university has recently approved several motions relating to the conflict in Palestine, "condemning both the brutal and senseless attack by Hamas on 7 October and the subsequent Israeli military action in Gaza". Midiri recalled that the university has "firmly condemned and condemns the atrocities committed by the Israeli government in Palestine", denouncing "a conflict that continues to violate human rights and systematically target an entire population", adding: "On complex issues such as the conflict in the Middle East, the path forward must be one of dialogue and critical debate, not isolation and what approaches ideological censorship". Minister Bernini Italy's university minister Anna Maria Bernini commended the rector for expressing a "clear and necessary distancing" from Nivarra's "unacceptable" words. In a post on X, Bernini wrote: "Professor Nivarra's statements offend not only Jewish people but all those who identify with the values of respect and civil coexistence". "Conflicts are overcome through dialogue, not isolation" - she said - "and it is only through this path that an authentic journey toward peace can be built, an objective to which Italy and the international community continue to dedicate their efforts". Professor responds Nivarra responded to the controversy by dismissing accusations of anti-Semitism and hitting back at the people who posted "insults and threats" on his Facebook page. "You can continue to rant and resort to the vocabulary of teenagers lacking imagination; you can call me an anti-Semite when I am not one at all", Nivarra wrote, adding that "there is an insurmountable distance between me and the perpetrators of these horrors". Photo credit: Mijansk786 / Shutterstock.com.