ROME—A member of the Italian Senate for the populist 5-Star Movement (M5S) has come under fire after posting an article on Twitter citing the ‘’Protocols of Elders of Zion,’’ a century-old fabricated anti-Semitic conspiracy theory asserting a Jewish plan for global domination.
Elio Lannutti used this reference to attack te international banking system. According to daily Corriere Della Sera, in what he calls “criminal finance”, he often quotes George Soros and Goldman Sachs. But on Twitter this time, he went further, using an article taken from a site known to post fake news which explains how “the 13 families that rule the world” derive from the “Group of the Elders of Zion”.
Lannutti wrote hat the activity of this group, ‘’with Mayer Amschel Rothschild, the skilful founder of the famous dynasty that still controls the International Banking System, led to the creation of a manifesto: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.’’
This manifesto of modern anti-Semitic propaganda is a historical forgery that was also used by fascism and became one of the theoretical cornerstones that justified the Nazi extermination of the Jews.
Luigi Di Maio, Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister later wrote : ‘’ As Vie-President of the Council and as political leader of the 5-Star Movement I distances myself, and with me the whole party, from the Senator’s considerations.’’
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 later apologized for the tweet which he later deleted. He said 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.”