Vattimo, a well-known public intellectual and former member of the European Parliament, made the comments on a popular radio show as protests against Israel’s incursion into Gaza Strip were held across Italy.

“I’d like to shoot those bastard Zionists,” Vattimo told Radio 24’s most successful show, “La Zanzara.” When asked by the hosts whether he would like to see more Israelis killed, Vattimo, who described himself on air as “a non-violent person,” responded: “Of course!”

Later, he said he “unfortunately can’t really shoot” because he was exempted from military service.

Vattimo also said he was planning to launch a fund-raising campaign to buy better weapons for Hamas, saying the militants are “fighting with toy rockets that don’t really kill anyone.” He suggested Europeans form international brigades to fight along with Hamas, just as foreign volunteers fought Franco during the Spanish Civil War, and said Israel was “a bit worse than the Nazis.”

Pro-Palestinian protests have been held in Milan, Rome and other major cities in Italy. In Vercelli, a small town in the northwest, pro-Palestinian activists hung a banner on a synagogue reading: “Stop bombing Gaza, Israeli killers, Free Palestine.”

RA/NJF