Modena, June 6, 2026 – A case has erupted in Modena, concerning a public meeting that involved young pupils from a primary and nursery school and Mayor Massimo Mezzetti: a terrorism suspect allegedly took part in the event. The incident, which quickly took on the contours of a real political case, prompted the Emilia-Romagna Regional School Office to act immediately. The body has indeed announced that it has “promptly initiated investigations within its competence” following news related to the event in which, according to what emerged, “a person investigated for terrorism also seems to have taken part.” To shed full light on the matter, the school administration has already ordered an inspection “in order to understand what happened.”
Read more Violent crash between a bus and a carabinieri car in Rimini: there are injured
The case: names and details
The school authority’s measure follows an article published by the newspaper Il Giornale, according to which Wael Dahdouh, a well-known correspondent for Al Jazeera in Gaza, and Sulaiman Hijazi were present at the meeting. The latter is currently registered in the register of suspects as part of an investigation by the Genoa Public Prosecutor’s Office focused on alleged funding for Hamas. Also according to reports, the political slogan “Free free Palestine” was allegedly chanted during the event.
Mayor Mezzetti’s reply: “I didn’t know him”
In the face of the strong criticism, Mayor Massimo Mezzetti wanted to clarify his position and his non-involvement through an official note. The mayor specified that the event, held last Wednesday in a public space in the city, had been promoted and organized directly by a group of teachers belonging to the “Educational Cooperation Movement”.
Read more Dead in the collapse of the building in Porto Sant’Elpidio: who are the victims
“For about an hour, I listened and dialogued with the children who, to tell the truth, pressed me more on many topics of their daily lives than on the war: from games in parks to air pollution, from the state of gyms to the desire for more greenery,” explained the mayor, emphasizing that he left around 10 AM for other institutional commitments. Regarding the presence of the man under investigation, Mezzetti specified that reporter Wael Al Dadouh had been invited by the teachers to recount the drama of those living in a war context. “He was accompanied by a person who acted as an interpreter and whose identity I did not know and, consequently, the delicate investigation in which he is involved.”
Condemnation of political chants in the presence of children
The mayor finally clearly distanced himself from any political exploitation that occurred during the morning. “During my presence at the meeting, the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians was never mentioned in the conversation with the children, nor was any political song chanted,” Mezzetti firmly remarked in his note, concluding that “if this happened after I left, and I have no reason to doubt the reconstruction, I judge it absolutely inappropriate.”
Read more “You are fantastic”: Vasco Rossi meets the children of Mosti school, emotions for the baby musicians
