Overview
- Videos and witness accounts show a group of self‑described naziskin surrounding a hotel near Sofia on Sunday, August 2, shouting “Sieg Heil,” giving Nazi salutes, and trying to force entry where dozens of Italian Jewish adolescents were staying.
- Bulgarian police intervened to prevent contact between the attackers and the youths, but witnesses and organizers say the group returned hours later to block the hotel entrance and continue threats.
- Organizers and staff moved minors to safety inside the building, described the group’s conduct as terrifying, and said several young people were left shaken and crying after the episode.
- Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani condemned the episode and the Comunità Ebraica di Roma called for a full investigation and for the attackers to be identified and prosecuted, while reports do not yet confirm arrests by Bulgarian authorities.
- The incident is being framed in coverage as part of a broader rise in antisemitic attacks across Europe since October 2023 and could prompt diplomatic pressure and renewed scrutiny of security for Jewish youth trips.