Neo-Nazis chanting 'Sieg Heil' besiege hotel with Jewish teens in Bulgaria

On Sunday, August 2, neo-Nazis besieged a hotel in the Bulgarian resort of Bansko where Jewish teenagers, including a delegation from Rome and representatives of Israel, were staying. The attackers blocked entrances, shouted 'Sieg Heil' and made threats, but were dispersed by police, only to return afterward. The head of Rome's Jewish community, Victor Fadlun, demanded an investigation. The incident occurred a week after an attack on Israeli tourists on the Sunny Beach resort.

On Sunday, August 2, a group of neo-Nazis surrounded a hotel in the Bulgarian resort town of Bansko, where dozens of Jewish teenagers, including a delegation from the Jewish community of Rome and representatives of Israel, were staying for an international training of youth movement instructors. The attackers, dressed in black T-shirts with a skull image, blocked the hotel entrances, insulted the teenagers, raised their hands in a Nazi salute, and shouted 'Sieg Heil'. Police were called and dispersed them, but shortly after the officers left, the neo-Nazis returned, again blocked the entrances, and continued to threaten the program participants. Victor Fadlun, chairman of the Jewish community of Rome, said that teenagers can no longer travel freely in Europe without facing violence and verbal abuse from anti-Semites. He demanded that Bulgarian authorities investigate the incident, identify the perpetrators, and bring them to justice. The incident occurred about a week after another attack in Bulgaria, when a group of 18-year-old Israelis was forced to take refuge in a hotel at the Sunny Beach resort after being attacked by British tourists. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called anti-Semitism a form of hatred that must be eradicated.