The University of Palermo in Sicily on Tuesday distanced itself from remarks that one of its professors made online, urging social media users to “unfriend” all Jews on Facebook to protest Israel’s actions in Gaza.

The Il Fatto Quotidiano newspaper quoted Rector Massimo Midiri calling Professor Luca Nivarra’s remarks “culturally dangerous,” adding, “On complex issues such as the conflict in the Middle East, the path forward must be one of dialogue and critical discussion, not isolation and what approaches ideological censorship.”

He did not announce any disciplinary action against Nivarra, who teaches in Palermo’s Faculty of Law.

In a post on Monday, Nivarra urged users to “unfriend your Jewish ‘friends’ on Facebook, even the ‘good’ ones,” arguing that even Jews who criticize Israel w

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