Italy senator apologizes for tweet citing anti-Semitic text

MILAN – A senator with Italy’s governing 5-Star Movement has apologized for a tweet citing a century-old anti-Semitic conspiracy theory, which he later deleted.

Elio Lannutti came under fire after posting an article on Twitter that cited the fabricated, anti-Semitic “Protocols of Zion,” which asserted a Jewish plan for global domination, to attack the international banking system. A member of the opposition Democratic Party, Nicola Zingaretti, called the words “the lowest point in this mix of hatred, negation-ism and racism that reappears more and more often.”

Lannutti said Tuesday on Facebook that he did not intend to offend anyone, “much less the Jewish community.” He said sharing a link didn’t mean endorsing the contents, adding, “I would like to stress that I am not, and will never be, an anti-Semite.”