The large turnout of young people in the streets in solidarity with the
Palestinian population against the genocide perpetrated by the Israeli
state and army is unnerving the government and its branches. Following
the directive from the Lazio Regional Education Office, and the
anti-Zionism bill proposed by Gasparri in recent days, which would
purport to ban discussion of Palestine in schools, statements from the
Honorable Roccella also arrive, criticizing school trips to Auschwitz,
dismissively described as field trips, which, in his view, only misled
students by making them believe that anti-Semitism was attributable to
fascism, thus fostering an anti-fascist culture. Evidently, Family
Minister Roccella, in addition to believing anti-fascism to be harmful
and counterproductive, believes that the Holocaust was caused by a
condominium dispute.
The debate heats up, and schools become one of the hot-button sectors
receiving delusional statements and initiatives.
Meanwhile, we publish a first contribution on the Gasparri Bill.
While the streets fill with protesters demanding an end to the genocide
in Palestine, the Meloni government is preparing a new crackdown under
the pretext of fighting anti-Semitism.
After the "Security" Decree, now comes the bill entitled "Provisions for
the adoption of the operational definition of anti-Semitism, as well as
for combating acts of anti-Semitism," proposed by the League and
currently in the Senate committee (a nearly identical bill was
introduced by Renzi's Scalfarotto). Officially, the measure aims to
promote "actions aimed at repressing any expression of it" and thwart
"the spread of anti-Semitic prejudice in Italy" (as if Italy didn't
already have-and essentially unenforced-laws against fascism and racism,
such as the Scelba Law and the Mancino Law). In reality, the bill in
question effectively equates anti-Semitism with anti-Zionism, paving the
way for the criminalization (as already happens in England, Germany, and
other countries) of any protest against Israel's racist and genocidal
policies.
Article 1 of the bill "adopts the operational definition of
anti-Semitism formulated by the Plenary Assembly of the International
Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) on May 26, 2016, including the
relevant indicators."
Let's see what it's all about. "The IHRA (International Holocaust
Remembrance Alliance)," we quote from the introductory statement, "is an
intergovernmental organization-founded in 1998 and composed of 35 member
states, including Italy, 10 observer states, and 7 permanent
international supporters-which aims to strengthen, advance, and promote
Holocaust education, remembrance, and research worldwide."
In 2016, this organization adopted an "operational definition of
antisemitism," approved in 2017 by the European Parliament and also
adopted in 2020 by Italy (Conte II Government, M5S, PD). This is
(currently) a "non-legally binding" declaration.
The problem arises from the fact that this "operational definition"
effectively equates antisemitism with anti-Zionism. The "indicators"
include examples of anti-Semitism: "Denying Jews the right to
self-determination, for example, by claiming that the existence of the
State of Israel is an expression of racism"; or: "Making comparisons
between contemporary Israeli policies and those of the Nazis."
In light of this bill, it would therefore be impossible to legally
denounce the apartheid on which the State of Israel is based and the
genocidal policy (objectively Nazi-inspired) it is pursuing against the
Palestinians.
As anarchists, we believe that any state (including a potential
Palestinian state) is an instrument of oppression and class domination,
but it is useful to underline the logical paradox that-according to
these provisions-it would be legitimate to challenge the existence of
any state, Saharawi, Kurdish, Italian, or French, while denying the
existence of the State of Israel alone would become illegal!
The bill, in addition to training and educational activities on the
topic, provides for restrictions on access to social media (Article 2,
paragraph b), with the related removal of anti-Semitic content and the
possibility of prohibiting anti-Semitic demonstrations. Indeed, Article
3 states verbatim: "The denial of authorization for a public meeting or
demonstration for reasons of morality, pursuant to Article 18 of the
Consolidated Law on Public Safety, Royal Decree No. 773 of June 18,
1931, may also be motivated by an assessment of a serious potential risk
due to the use of symbols, slogans, messages, or any other antisemitic
act, pursuant to the operational definition of antisemitism adopted by
this law."
Therefore, based not on objective facts, but solely on the "potential
risk" of "antisemitic" slogans being raised, any demonstration could be
preemptively prohibited!
This new attack on freedom of expression and demonstration, which has
been in the making for a long time (the foundations for this new prison
of thought and action have been laid for ten years, as we have seen),
requires the broadest response and mobilization from the anarchist
movement and anyone who cares about freedom.
Mauro De Agostini
https://umanitanova.org/nuove-frontiere-della-repressione-il-ddl-contro-lantisemitismo/
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
Palestinian population against the genocide perpetrated by the Israeli
state and army is unnerving the government and its branches. Following
the directive from the Lazio Regional Education Office, and the
anti-Zionism bill proposed by Gasparri in recent days, which would
purport to ban discussion of Palestine in schools, statements from the
Honorable Roccella also arrive, criticizing school trips to Auschwitz,
dismissively described as field trips, which, in his view, only misled
students by making them believe that anti-Semitism was attributable to
fascism, thus fostering an anti-fascist culture. Evidently, Family
Minister Roccella, in addition to believing anti-fascism to be harmful
and counterproductive, believes that the Holocaust was caused by a
condominium dispute.
The debate heats up, and schools become one of the hot-button sectors
receiving delusional statements and initiatives.
Meanwhile, we publish a first contribution on the Gasparri Bill.
While the streets fill with protesters demanding an end to the genocide
in Palestine, the Meloni government is preparing a new crackdown under
the pretext of fighting anti-Semitism.
After the "Security" Decree, now comes the bill entitled "Provisions for
the adoption of the operational definition of anti-Semitism, as well as
for combating acts of anti-Semitism," proposed by the League and
currently in the Senate committee (a nearly identical bill was
introduced by Renzi's Scalfarotto). Officially, the measure aims to
promote "actions aimed at repressing any expression of it" and thwart
"the spread of anti-Semitic prejudice in Italy" (as if Italy didn't
already have-and essentially unenforced-laws against fascism and racism,
such as the Scelba Law and the Mancino Law). In reality, the bill in
question effectively equates anti-Semitism with anti-Zionism, paving the
way for the criminalization (as already happens in England, Germany, and
other countries) of any protest against Israel's racist and genocidal
policies.
Article 1 of the bill "adopts the operational definition of
anti-Semitism formulated by the Plenary Assembly of the International
Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) on May 26, 2016, including the
relevant indicators."
Let's see what it's all about. "The IHRA (International Holocaust
Remembrance Alliance)," we quote from the introductory statement, "is an
intergovernmental organization-founded in 1998 and composed of 35 member
states, including Italy, 10 observer states, and 7 permanent
international supporters-which aims to strengthen, advance, and promote
Holocaust education, remembrance, and research worldwide."
In 2016, this organization adopted an "operational definition of
antisemitism," approved in 2017 by the European Parliament and also
adopted in 2020 by Italy (Conte II Government, M5S, PD). This is
(currently) a "non-legally binding" declaration.
The problem arises from the fact that this "operational definition"
effectively equates antisemitism with anti-Zionism. The "indicators"
include examples of anti-Semitism: "Denying Jews the right to
self-determination, for example, by claiming that the existence of the
State of Israel is an expression of racism"; or: "Making comparisons
between contemporary Israeli policies and those of the Nazis."
In light of this bill, it would therefore be impossible to legally
denounce the apartheid on which the State of Israel is based and the
genocidal policy (objectively Nazi-inspired) it is pursuing against the
Palestinians.
As anarchists, we believe that any state (including a potential
Palestinian state) is an instrument of oppression and class domination,
but it is useful to underline the logical paradox that-according to
these provisions-it would be legitimate to challenge the existence of
any state, Saharawi, Kurdish, Italian, or French, while denying the
existence of the State of Israel alone would become illegal!
The bill, in addition to training and educational activities on the
topic, provides for restrictions on access to social media (Article 2,
paragraph b), with the related removal of anti-Semitic content and the
possibility of prohibiting anti-Semitic demonstrations. Indeed, Article
3 states verbatim: "The denial of authorization for a public meeting or
demonstration for reasons of morality, pursuant to Article 18 of the
Consolidated Law on Public Safety, Royal Decree No. 773 of June 18,
1931, may also be motivated by an assessment of a serious potential risk
due to the use of symbols, slogans, messages, or any other antisemitic
act, pursuant to the operational definition of antisemitism adopted by
this law."
Therefore, based not on objective facts, but solely on the "potential
risk" of "antisemitic" slogans being raised, any demonstration could be
preemptively prohibited!
This new attack on freedom of expression and demonstration, which has
been in the making for a long time (the foundations for this new prison
of thought and action have been laid for ten years, as we have seen),
requires the broadest response and mobilization from the anarchist
movement and anyone who cares about freedom.
Mauro De Agostini
https://umanitanova.org/nuove-frontiere-della-repressione-il-ddl-contro-lantisemitismo/
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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