An Italian Holocaust survivor's attempt to encourage other older adults to receive the COVID-19 vaccine has triggered a wave of anti-Semitic comments and other invective on social media.
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Liliana Segre, 90, received the first of the two-shot vaccine series in Milan on Thursday. She urged people who reach her age "to not be afraid and to take the vaccine."
After Segre's comments received negative social media attention, Italian Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese expressed solidarity with her and denounced the "new and unacceptable attack" which he said was marked by "a very dangerous mix of hate, violence and racism."
Segre publicly bared a shoulder to receive her vaccine injection at a hospital on the first day that Milan began administering the shots to residents age 80 and older. She said that she believed that those who refuse to be vaccinated are "either too frightened or not informed enough."
