Law to combat anti-Semitism: discussion restarts in the Democratic Party on the Delrio bill

It will officially start onJanuary 7in Constitutional Affairs Commission the comparison onlegislative proposalsconcerning thefight against anti-Semitism. The start will be the bill presented by the demGraziano Delriotext that provoked oneinternal conflict al Democratic Party.

In addition to Delrio, the proposal was signed by the reformist wing of the party, which was critical of the secretaryElly Schlein. Among the senators who signed the bill there are, in fact, Simona Malpezzi, Filippo Sensi, Alfredo Bazoli, Pier Ferdinando Casini, Tatjana Rojc, Walter Verini, Sandra Zampa. To these, then, were added the signatures of Carlo Calenda, of the Action senator Marco Lombardo, and that of Luigi Spagnolli of the Autonomies. Also present is the signature of Alessandro Alfieri, a member of the dem secretariat. The title of the bill reads “Provisions forprevention and combating anti-Semitismand for the strengthening of the national strategy for the fight against anti-Semitism as well as delegation to the government on the matteranti-Semitic content spread on online platforms“. The Nazarene distanced himself from the text, presented at the beginning of December, by the president of the Democratic Party senators: “The Democratic Party group in the Senate has not presented any bill on anti-Semitism. Senator Delrio filed, in his personal capacity, the bill ‘Provisions for the prevention and combating of Anti-Semitism’ which does not represent the position of the group nor that of the party”, he explainedFrancesco Boccia. At the basis of the choice of the PD leaders is the fear that theDelrio billends up representing agag critics of the Israeli government.

Concerns about the risk of censorship and sanctions

“If this text became law, anyone who radically contests the behavior of theState of Israelwould be defined as anti-Semitic and thereforesanctioned“, explained the red-greenAngelo Bonellia few hours after the presentation of the Delrio bill at the Nazarene. Furthermore, that text, “in article 2, delegates theMeloni governmentto pass one or more legislative decrees with requirements to the Communications Regulatory Authority (Agcom) ‘on the prevention, reporting, removal and sanctioning ofanti-Semitic content spread on online platformsof digital services in Italian’. Articles 3 and 4 provide that eachuniversityappoint a sort of controller who supervises any internal activities, including educational ones, always considered illegitimate on the basis of the defining criteria of Anti-Semitism established by theIHRA“, International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

The Ihra definition and internal tensions within the Democratic Party

In saying this, Bonelli refers to the intervention of Roberto Della Seta, historic exponent of the Democratic Party, on the pages of the Manifesto. Theredefinition of Ihraqualifies as “any” anti-Semitismradical criticism of Israel“, explains Della Seta, “and towards thezionismas its founding ideology”.internal tensions within the Democratic Partywhich reached alarm levels during the national assembly on 14 December, with cross accusations between Boccia and Delrio. Then, on December 17, Boccia called a meeting of the senators to find a solution that would get everyone to agree. Three and a half hours of discussion served to reduce tensionsDelrio bill per il fight against anti-Semitismbut not to have the Delrio bill withdrawn.

The search for a new text and the party’s objectives

Francesco Boccia has given a mandate to senator Andrea Giorgis, leader of the dem groupConstitutional Affairs commissionto coordinate the work to arrive at a text on the topic that brings together all theinternal sensitivities. Graziano Delrio, however, vindicated his choice, asking that his text be adopted as a starting point. Senator Alfredo Bazoli did the same, underlining that if we need to start from a new text, it must be done in dialogue with Delrio. Among the interventions in the same meeting there was that of those who, among the Dem senators, asked to insert a reference toall forms of hateand not just anti-Semitism. What will be produced by the Democratic Party, it is explained, should not be a text that insists on the penal code, but ratherguidelines for training, information and education of younger people. In any case, Delrio defended the text presented a week ago, explaining that there is no risk of itcensorship of opinionsbut which is based on the only oneaccepted definition of antisemitismand present in the legislation of 24 out of 27 European countries.