A-Infos (en) Italy, FAI, Umanita Nova #27-26 - No to repression and censorship. The "Antisemitism" Bill: opposing the criminalization of solidarity with Palestine. (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

Since September 9, a parliamentary committee in the Chamber of Deputies 
has been reviewing the so-called "Anti-Semitism" bill-a measure already 
passed by a large majority in the Senate on March 4, 2026. It secured 
votes not only from the governing parties but also from "Azione," 
Renzi's faction, and a segment of the Democratic Party (PD), while the 
remainder of the PD abstained. ---- One might naively wonder why there 
is such an urgent need to enact a specific law against antisemitism in 
Italy, given that the government itself stokes hatred against 
foreigners-especially Arabs and Muslims-on a daily basis. This is a 
country where undocumented immigrants are locked up in inhumane camps; 
where doctors attempting to save vulnerable individuals from 
administrative detention in repatriation centers (CPRs) face 
prosecution; where NGOs dedicated to sea rescues are heavily sanctioned; 
and where attempts are made to discriminate against foreign students in 
schools. It is a country that already possesses regulations-such as the 
Mancino Law-designed to severely punish (on paper) all forms of racism, 
including Holocaust denial.

The explanation is simple. It lies in the Italian ruling class's 
complicity with the State of Israel's criminal and genocidal policies-a 
cross-party complicity (as evidenced by the Senate vote) aimed at 
introducing insidious measures designed to stifle any criticism of 
Israel by branding it with the shameful accusation of "antisemitism." 
This attempt to silence dissent has become all the more urgent following 
the massive solidarity mobilizations for Gaza in the autumn of 2025. In 
recent months, a full arsenal of repressive measures has been deployed: 
from fines levied against the unions organizing strikes and the clearing 
of social centers to preventive public security measures; from the 
arrest of Mohamed Hannoun and other Palestinian community figures based 
on Mossad intelligence (they have remained in pre-trial detention since 
December 2025) to the harsh sentencing of Anan Yaeesh for acts of 
resistance carried out in Palestine...

It is against this backdrop that the bill currently under discussion has 
been introduced; it adopts the "working definition of antisemitism 
formulated by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance 
(IHRA)[...]including the associated examples."

This definition skillfully equates anti-Zionism with antisemitism, 
classifying as "antisemitic"-according to the examples provided-actions 
such as "Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, 
e.g., by claiming that the existence of the State of Israel is a racist 
endeavor" (even though Israel is, in reality, a state that enforces 
severe apartheid against its own non-Jewish citizens) or "Drawing 
comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis" (even 
though Israel is adopting a policy toward Palestinians that is 
objectively Nazi-like).

Following lengthy debates-and partly due to internal contradictions 
within the Right (where actual antisemites abound)-the initially 
proposed criminal provisions (put forward by Gasparri) and the ban on 
"antisemitic" demonstrations (proposed by Romeo) have been shelved for 
the time being in favor of a "preventive" approach. The bill under 
discussion (Bill 2830) outlines-across five articles-the development of 
a "National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism." This strategy is based on 
"educational" and "training" initiatives in schools-targeting students, 
teachers, magistrates, prefects, the armed forces, and the police-as 
well as on mass media monitoring of "antisemitic" activities via a 
dedicated database. It also mandates "specific measures to counter the 
spread of antisemitic hate speech online" (essentially gag rules for 
social media) and requires schools and universities to implement 
measures "to combat antisemitism." Universities "may designate an 
internal official responsible for verifying and monitoring actions to 
combat antisemitism"-a censor-like role already infamously known in Germany.

The bill's proponents attempt to mask their repressive intentions by 
claiming that "the law imposes no sanctions." However, the real danger 
lies in the adoption of the IHRA declaration as a binding reference 
point. This declaration is a highly controversial document 
internationally-opposed, for instance, by the "Jerusalem Declaration" 
signed by hundreds of scholars-and originated as a "non-legally binding" 
working tool. On this basis, the solidarity movement with Palestine will 
be slowly stifled through systematic censorship across social media, 
mainstream media, schools, and universities (as stipulated by the bill); 
criminal sanctions and prohibitions could then be introduced at a later 
stage, once the legal framework has been consolidated. Let us not forget 
that there are already European countries, such as Germany and the 
United Kingdom, where demonstrating against Israel is a criminal offense.

As anarchists, we are staunch opponents of any form of racism or 
nationalism-whether antisemitism, Islamophobia, or anything else-just as 
we oppose all forms of religion and the State, which are the fundamental 
instruments of every oppression. We place no faith in parliamentary 
maneuvering (in recent days, both Vannacci and Schlein have positioned 
their respective parties to vote against the measure for obvious 
tactical reasons); instead, we believe that only mass mobilization can 
halt this latest step in an authoritarian drift that, since 2022, has 
already seen the introduction of 57 new criminal offenses, 60 
aggravating circumstances, and a cumulative increase in prison sentences 
totaling 500 years. These measures are aimed primarily at suppressing 
social protests and are directed specifically against the working class, 
racialized and marginalized individuals, and young people.

It is imperative today to mobilize in defense of freedom of thought and 
freedom of expression.

Mauro De Agostini

https://umanitanova.org/no-a-repressione-e-censura-ddl-antisemitismo-contro-la-criminalizzazione-della-solidarieta-alla-palestina/ 
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