Luigi Marattin called the incident that occurred in Reggio Emilia offensive and ridiculous, claiming that some teachers and educators from American Jewish schools visiting to study the local educational model were pressured by pro-Palestinian activists to sign a statement against the Israeli occupation in Gaza. He stated that Reggio Emilia was a world excellence in early childhood education and would remain so despite the incident. Marattin contested the association between Jewish and Israeli identity, recalling that, according to what he wrote, 20% of the Israeli population is Muslim and enjoys the same rights and duties of citizenship. He argued that confusing the two identities was a form of religious discrimination. He also questioned why, if the intent was to reaffirm the values of peace and tolerance of the Reggio model, Muslim, Turkish, or American visitors had not been asked to dissociate themselves from the actions or policies of their respective governments. Marattin asked if anyone had ever been asked to condemn the terrorist attack of October 7, which he called criminal, and criticized those who referred to it as resistance during demonstrations in various Italian cities over the weekend, referring to the participants with a pejorative term. Finally, he stated that he was left speechless by the defense of the incident by prominent national figures of the center-left. #ReggioEmilia #Scuola #Educazione (translated)
