It remains a mystery how a comedian, until yesterday engaged in prime time jokes, could suddenly reinvent himself as an implacable punisher of Israel
The Union of Italian Jewish Communities (Ucei) filed a complaint against the comedian Enzo Iacchettiaccusing him of fueling “hostility and anti-Jewish stereotypes” during his numerous television appearances in recent months. According to theUceihis public statements would have taken on the traits of a “constant demonization of Israel and the Jewish people”, re-proposing rhetorical schemes that “for centuries have fueled anti-Semitism”.
The best-known clash dates back to the episode of “È semper Carta Bianca” on Rete 4, when Iacchetti exploded against Eyal Mizrahipresident of Federation of Friends of Israel. «What did you say, asshole? I’m going down and punching you, I know you’re down here!” he shouted at him, jumping from his chair, after Mizrahi had disputed the death toll a Gaza and provocatively asked to “define child” when referring to Palestinian minors. An episode that inflamed public opinion at the most tense moment of the conflict.
However, the complaint filed byUcei it doesn’t just focus on that incident. The draft document, circulated on social networks, claims that during his appearances on the program of Bianca Berlinguer «Iacchetti has repeatedly expressed aggressive judgments and incendiary tones» against Israel, even going so far as to issue «physical threats» to a guest with ideas opposite to his. But, according to the Ucei, the breaking point was reached more recently, when the ceasefire in Gaza was now stable.
In an episode aired in November 2025, Iacchetti he uttered considered sentences «unequivocally anti-Semitic». Commenting on the alarm of Dad on the growth of anti-Semitism, the actor would have declared that the phenomenon does not really exist and that the true promoters of hatred would be “the Jewish Zionists themselves”, accused of branding all those who criticize Israel as anti-Semites. A speech defined byUcei “confused, but precisely for this reason more insidious and dangerous.”
The most disputed passage concerns the statement, reported in full in the complaint, according to which «Zionism controls the world, controls America, controls the banks… Swiss banks are in the hands of Jewish Zionists, the money is there». A narrative – claims theUcei – which reproduces almost verbatim the key stereotypes of Nazi propaganda and conspiracy theories that fueled violence against Jews throughout the Twentieth century. What is also striking, it is highlighted, is the fact that no one in the studio denied or stopped the actor, leaving those sentences “to settle in the public as truth”.
For the Ucei, what was said by Iacchetti fully integrates the crime of spreading ideas based on racial hatred, provided for by the article 604-bis of the penal codewhich includes penalties of up to a year and a half in prison or fines of up to 6,000 euros. It is certainly right that these demonstrations of anti-Semitic prejudice they do not pass into chivalry and remain unpunished. Perhaps the Ucei, which filed the complaint, could have been a little more explicit in denouncing the presenter’s behavior, Bianca Berlinguer, which substantially favored the behaviors of Iacchetti.
Both when the comedian threatened to beat up a guest, and when he indulged in that neo-Nazi propaganda, the Berlinguer she stood by and watched. Now Iacchetti will have to decide what to do, for example a late public clarification, an official defense or the inevitable shield of the lawyers. However, it remains a mystery how a comedian, until yesterday engaged in prime time jokes, could suddenly reinvent himself as an implacable punisher of Israel, moreover without the slightest knowledge of what he is talking about.
