Adnkronos (Adnkronos) – Another instance of potential divisions within the progressive camp, and even within the Democratic Party, could play out on October 2nd when the bill on anti-Semitism, co-authored by Lega Senator Massimiliano Romeo, arrives in the Chamber of Deputies. Already approved in the Senate, it had also led to some divergent positions within the center-left bloc.
While the Five Star Movement and AVS are openly against the measure, positions among the Democrats are divided. While Piero Fassino, a member of Left for Israel, Two Peoples, Two States, is explicitly in favor of a "yes" vote, Laura Boldrini, on the other hand, makes no secret of her opposition to the bill. In the middle, her secretary, Elly Schlein, could instruct the party to abstain.
The divisions are said to stem from the bill's decision to adopt as its guidelines the indicators of the definition of antisemitism proposed by the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance), which would equate all those who criticize the Israeli government with antisemites. This accusation is being loudly voiced even outside the chambers of parliament, especially during the sit-in protest that enlivened the square in front of Montecitorio yesterday.
In addition to several members of the Five Star Movement, such as the group leader in the Chamber of Deputies, Riccardo Ricciardi, Stefania Ascari, and Alessandra Maiorino, and other members of the Red-Greens, the Young Democrats of Rome and Boldrini herself also participated in the demonstration, a sign that there are more than a few differences within the party.
Amid chants of support for a free Palestine and countless black, red, white, and green flags, however, a few Hamas and Hezbollah flags also appeared, outraging some within the center-right. For Lucio Malan, president of the Brothers of Italy senators, the presence of those flags and representatives of the Democratic Party and the Five Star Movement "is not a hiccup, but the logical culmination of a culpably ambiguous political rhetoric, which for months has been fanning the flames of militant anti-Zionism to flatter social centers, the galaxy of antagonism, and Islamist extremism." "In the Brothers of Italy vision, there can be no room for anti-Semitism, even when clumsily disguised as political criticism of Israel. It must be fought unambiguously. We therefore call on Elly Schlein and Giuseppe Conte to immediately break with this extremist drift and condemn these demonstrations of hatred," he added. Forza Italia's stance is more subdued, with Isabella De Monte consistently condemning the opposition's presence at the rally, calling it "the clearest picture of those who want to oppose a balanced and necessary measure: a wink, even unintentionally, to the terrorist organizations that are bloodying the Middle East. The best response to the Hamas flags waving during the demonstration comes from the Chamber of Deputies, with the final approval of the bill."
Boldrini, however, distanced herself immediately. "I strongly condemn" those flags. "And I'm pleased that the packed square itself dissociated itself from those few individuals who carried out these actions. This should be the news, in my opinion," she told Adnkronos. Regarding the bill, however, she remains firm, because "it endangers freedom of the press and freedom of expression." "If a more specific provision is needed, the Jerusalem definition could be adopted, rather than the IRHA definition, which is controversial because it misleadingly equates criticism of the Israeli government with attacks on Jews. It's no coincidence that Netanyahu has been calling on states to implement it for years: Italy would be the first European country to make it the norm. A beautiful gift from our right to an internationally wanted war crimes suspect, no doubt about it!" the former Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies adds.
This is also supported by Ricciardi, who believes that "this bill is a political-media operation to condemn the protests for Gaza and all the people who have protested and are protesting against the terrorist government of Israel. They want to censor the justified criticism of those who, just yesterday in Lebanon, killed two newborns. We are not in favor of this operation." And Angelo Bonelli, co-leader of AVS, believes that "the bill on anti-Semitism poses a very serious problem for the right to criticism and risks becoming a tool to target those who legitimately challenge the policies of the Israeli government. Criticizing Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir, and Smotrich for the violence against the Palestinian people, for what happened in Gaza, and for the occupation of the West Bank cannot be classified as anti-Semitism," which "must be fought with the utmost determination, as well as any form of racial hatred and discrimination. But precisely for this reason, we cannot accept a law that risks confusing anti-Semitism with political criticism of the Israeli government. It would set a very dangerous precedent for freedom of expression."
Fassino, speaking to Adnkronos, however, argues that the law does not prohibit any criticism of Israel: "About the anti-Semitism bill," he says, "completely unfounded things are being said and written" because "it contains no liberticidal provisions, no criminal law, nor sanctions." Rather, it "strengthens cultural, educational, and pedagogical tools to combat anti-Semitism in the face of the spread of anti-Jewish hate speech and discrimination in Italy." The Democratic Party MP believes that "rejecting the bill because it would not allow criticism of Israel has the paradoxical effect of proving Netanyahu right when he claims that any criticism of his government is an anti-Semitic act." Regarding potential divisions within the Democratic Party, the former mayor of Turin hopes "that when the Democratic Party group debates the bill, the pursuit of the broadest parliamentary consensus will prevail," because "anti-Semitism cannot be a partisan flag."
Riccardo Magi, secretary of +Europa, takes a middle ground, stating that "combating anti-Semitism is a necessary and fully shared objective." This is precisely why he will submit amendments to the bill "that would make the text more precise, more protective of Jewish individuals and communities, without handing over ambiguous tools to governments to limit demonstrations, public spaces, university activities, funding, or disciplinary proceedings based on political opinions." Among the changes is one aimed at eliminating the reference to IHRA indicators as necessary criteria for applying the law, which the alliance itself views as "illustrative examples, not exhaustive, and to be evaluated in context," Magi notes.
Regarding the bill's progress, the Constitutional Affairs Committee was supposed to begin examining it yesterday, but it has been postponed. Before the anti-Semitism bill, the Constitutional Affairs Committee will examine the League's bill, which seeks to amend Law 91/92 on the acquisition and revocation of citizenship, and the electoral law, although the timing will only be revealed today at the end of the Bureau meeting. Filiberto Zaratti of AVS views this change as a matter of National Future's responsibility: "Politically, we note that Vannacci dictates the right-wing agenda. It's heading toward a postponement because priority is being given to the bill seeking to revoke Italian citizenship. Whichever way you look at it, it's a disgrace."
While divisions are resurfacing over the anti-Semitism bill, the "united bloc" is reuniting on Palestine. The group leaders of the Democratic Party, Five Star Movement (M5S), and AVS (Avs) in the Chamber of Deputies' Foreign Affairs Committee today called for the urgent scheduling of the progressive camp's joint bill banning the import and advertising of goods and services from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory. "The bill, led by Angelo Bonelli and co-signed by Elly Schlein, Giuseppe Conte, Nicola Fratoianni, Chiara Braga, Riccardo Ricciardi, and Luana Zanella, provides for a ban on the import and advertising of goods and services from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory. For the Democratic Party, AVS, and Five Star Movement, this is a joint proposal that represents common ground among the opposition forces, and they are asking the Foreign Affairs Committee to proceed with it without further delays in scheduling and consideration," they said from the broad side.
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