On June 19, Keshet, Italy’s only Jewish LGBTQ+ association, announced that it had reached an agreement with the organizers of the Rome Pride Parade to participate “with its own delegation and symbols.” Keshet will also join the coordinating committee for next year’s march “to address the tensions that have emerged and resolve misunderstandings.” Keshet president Raffaele Sabbadini explained that this solution is “a victory of dialogue” and “a serious commitment to mutual responsibility” following Rome Pride organizers’ decision to deny Keshet the opportunity to march with its own float. The exclusion stemmed from the association’s refusal to use the term “genocide” in regard to the Gaza war, arguing that the term has specific historical significance and should not be used lightly.
Sabbadini thanked the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, for his mediation, as well as those who mobilized in support of Keshet and the 2,000 individuals who signed the “touching” appeal delivered to the mayor. Pina Picierno, the vice-president of the European Parliament, emphasized that Keshet’s participation in the Pride parade is “a victory to celebrate and acknowledge.” “There is only a word” to define what had been inflicted on the association at the beginning. That word is ‘antisemitism,'” Picierno said.