The attorney representing individuals accused of assaulting a French Jewish family at a Milan-Lakes highway rest stop has made a counter-allegation. Lawyer Federico Battistini stated: “The man who today falsely accuses my clients of attacking him out of ethnic, national, racial, or religious hatred himself directed offensive gestures, racist and sexist insults, and threats toward the Palestinian-origin company.”
Battistini asserted that the French man’s account is “partial and biased.” He confirmed filing a formal complaint with the Milan Prosecutor’s Office on behalf of his clients, who sustained documented injuries including head trauma and bruises from beatings requiring emergency room treatment.
“My clients are acutely aware of what it means to face religious, ethnic, and racial discrimination,” Battistini explained, “and they certainly have no intention of committing such crimes themselves.”
The lawyer emphasized his clients’ background: “They are Italian citizens by birth, integrated into a social context with no sympathy for groups inciting hatred of any kind. On the contrary, they work alongside people of various nationalities and religions, including Jews, to combat all forms of discrimination and violence. Their firm condemnation of the atrocities occurring in the Gaza Strip is entirely consistent with this commitment.”
Battistini added: “My clients desire cooperation between the Jewish and Palestinian communities to end the current tragedy. This makes the antisemitism accusations against them, coupled with the circulation of their images, particularly unbearable. These actions have already exposed them to serious harm and danger.” Consequently, he requested the removal of the video or, at minimum, the blurring of his clients’ and their families’ faces to prevent further risk.
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