[[{"content_id":412220,"content_number":0,"portal_id":2,"lang_id":"en","content_title":"Italy arrests Palestinian activist amid crackdown on anti-Israel voices","content_rtitr":"","content_short_title":null,"content_summary":"Italian authorities have detained prominent Palestinian activist Mohammed Hannoun as European countries mount a crackdown on voices exposing Zionist regime’s genocidal crimes against the oppressed nation.","content_summary_fill":1,"content_body":"Hannoun, president of the Palestinian Association in Italy, was arrested along with eight other people on Saturday for allegedly financing the Palestinian Hamas resistance group through charities.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn a statement, prosecutors claimed that the activist is the &ldquo;head of the Italian cell of the Hamas organization.&rdquo;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThey also alleged that the suspects had sent about 7 million euros ($8.2 million) to &ldquo;associations &hellip; owned, controlled, or linked to Hamas.&rdquo;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHowever, Hannoun&#39;s lawyer Fabio Sommovigo said that the funds were collected peacefully for humanitarian purposes, adding that the case was based on the Israeli authorities&rsquo; interpretation of money movements.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nItalian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has faced backlash for her pro-Israel stance during the regime&rsquo;s genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, expressed her &ldquo;appreciation and satisfaction&rdquo; for the arrest operation.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBorn in Jordan in 1962, Hannoun has been residing in the Italian port city of Genoa for many years.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHe is an architect by profession and has organized and taken part in public demonstrations, solidarity initiatives, and awareness campaigns in support of the Palestinian cause.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nHe had previously described Hamas as a legitimate political actor, saying, &ldquo;I am simply a Palestinian who has been engaged for decades in the struggle for the rights of his people. Hamas received more than 70 percent of the vote in Gaza and the West Bank, so it is a legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. And I am a sympathizer of Hamas, just as I am of every faction that fights for my rights.&rdquo;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe arrests come at a time when certain European countries have stepped up efforts to silence pro-Palestinian activists and groups through judicial proceedings, forced dissolutions, and account freezes.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe same European states are complicit in Israel&rsquo;s war crimes as they maintain their economic and military ties with the criminal regime, which has martyred 71,266 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in Gaza since October 7, 2023.","content_html":"<p><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">Hannoun, president of the Palestinian Association in Italy, was arrested along with eight other people on Saturday for allegedly financing the Palestinian Hamas resistance group through charities.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">In a statement, prosecutors claimed that the activist is the &ldquo;head of the Italian cell of the Hamas organization.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">They also alleged that the suspects had sent about 7 million euros ($8.2 million) to &ldquo;associations &hellip; owned, controlled, or linked to Hamas.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">However, Hannoun&#39;s lawyer Fabio Sommovigo said that the funds were collected peacefully for humanitarian purposes, adding that the case was based on the Israeli authorities&rsquo; interpretation of money movements.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has faced backlash for her pro-Israel stance during the regime&rsquo;s genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, expressed her &ldquo;appreciation and satisfaction&rdquo; for the arrest operation.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">Born in Jordan in 1962, Hannoun has been residing in the Italian port city of Genoa for many years.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">He is an architect by profession and has organized and taken part in public demonstrations, solidarity initiatives, and awareness campaigns in support of the Palestinian cause.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">He had previously described Hamas as a legitimate political actor, saying, &ldquo;I am simply a Palestinian who has been engaged for decades in the struggle for the rights of his people. Hamas received more than 70 percent of the vote in Gaza and the West Bank, so it is a legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. And I am a sympathizer of Hamas, just as I am of every faction that fights for my rights.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">The arrests come at a time when certain European countries have stepped up efforts to silence pro-Palestinian activists and groups through judicial proceedings, forced dissolutions, and account freezes.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><span style=\"font-size:16px;\">The same European states are complicit in Israel&rsquo;s war crimes as they maintain their economic and military ties with the criminal regime, which has martyred 71,266 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in Gaza since October 7, 2023.<\/span><\/p>","content_source":"","content_url":"","content_date_start":"2025-12-28 11:08:38","content_date_event":"2025-12-28 11:08:38","content_date_event_start":null,"content_date_event_end":null,"content_show_title_slider":1,"content_date_last_edit":"2025-12-28 11:09:03","content_date_register":"2025-12-28 11:09:03","content_columns":0,"content_show_img":1,"content_show_details":0,"content_show_related_img":0,"content_show_slider":1,"content_comment":1,"content_score":0,"tag_id":0,"score_average":null,"score_count":null,"score_date_last":null,"uid":43,"eid":0,"attach_title":"Italy arrests Palestinian activist amid crackdown on anti-Israel voices","attaches":[{"sizes":{"150":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202512\/563654_3049470768_150_101.webp","300":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202512\/563654_3049470768_300_201.webp","400":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202512\/563654_3049470768_400_268.webp","600":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202512\/563654_3049470768_600_403.webp","900":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202512\/563654_3049470768_678_455.png","1200":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202512\/563654_3049470768_678_455.png"},"ext":"png","file_media":1,"token":3049470768,"files":{"original":{"url":".\/file\/2\/attach\/202512\/563654_3049470768.png","width":678,"height":455,"size":0}}}]}]]