Far Right Concert Falls Flat in Milan

By JTA November 30, 2014

A far-right rally and concert went ahead in Milan despite protests by the Milan Jewish community and other groups.

But reports said the event Saturday drew far fewer people than anticipated. No incidents were reported.

The Italian media said about 300 skinheads and other far-right militants attended Hammerfest 2014, held in a privately owned outbuilding in an outlying district of Milan. According to reports before the event, some 1,000 had been expected.

The Italian news agency Ansa said many of the crowd had “shaven heads, swastikas, and all the repertoire of the ‘Nazi look.’”

The Milan Jewish community had joined other organizations that called on authorities to bar the concert, and Milan’s mayor also criticized it as “unacceptable.” A similar concert was held in 2013.

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