Rome: A member of Italy’s anti-immigration opposition party condemned yesterday the weekend prayer by thousands of Muslims outside Milan’s Cathedral in protest against Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.

“The fact that Muslim extremists transformed the Cathedral square into an outdoor Mosque (constitutes) an incredible provocation,” ANSA news agency quoted Mario Borghezio, European deputy with the Northern League, as saying.

“The prayer to Allah recited by thousands of fanatical Muslims is an act of intimidation, a slap in the face for the city of Milan which must remain Christian,” he added.

Roughly 5,000 people, mostly migrants to Italy, gathered in Milan Saturday in protest against Israeli military strikes on the Gaza Strip since December 27, with hundreds of Muslims convening outside Milan Cathedral for a prayer.

Many demonstrators carried banners depicting the Star of David with a Nazi swastika and burnt Israeli flags, provoking deep offence among Italy’s Jewish population. “The protest against Israel has been monopolised by those who burn flags carrying a Star of David, deny Israel’s right to exist and, even worse, want a war of religions,” wrote Gad Lerner, a prominent Jewish journalist and writer in Italy, on his blog.

But Father Tonio dell’Olio, former Secretary General of Pax Christi Italy, told Corriere della Sera newspaper it was “legitimate that Muslim solidarity is conveyed through prayer.”