UN Expert and Protesters Rally in Rome Against Italy's Controversial Anti-Semitism Bill

Rome, Italy – Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the Italian parliament on Wednesday, holding black-and-yellow signs distributed by Amnesty International bearing the message, “Anti-Zionism is not anti-Semitism.” The protest in Montecitorio Square coincided with a meeting of the Chamber of Deputies’ Constitutional Affairs Committee, which is reviewing legislation previously approved by the Senate in a large majority on March 4.

“We are tired of seeing anti-Semitism instrumentalised to promote censorship of any kind of criticism of the State of Israel and its criminal policies,” stated Daniel Calo of Tikkun, an organization of Italian Jewish antiracism activists. Critics argue that adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism into national law will conflate opposition to Zionism with hatred against Jewish people.

Anneliese Baldaccini of Amnesty International Italy warned that the legislation would enforce censorship across schools, universities, social platforms, and cultural associations. Activists instead advocate for the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism, arguing that existing laws already cover hate crimes without threatening freedom of expression.

Francesca Albanese, the Italian legal scholar and UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, spoke to Al Jazeera and cautioned that equating criticism of a state with anti-Semitism creates severe legal risks. “The need to protect the State of Israel from criticism is stronger than the need to do justice,” Albanese said, adding that the measure endangers Jewish people worldwide by potentially framing them as representatives of Israel.

Tony La Piccirella, a Palestine solidarity activist with the Global Sumud Flotilla, expressed fears that the bill could be used to legally target newsrooms and online platforms. Conversely, the legislation has garnered firm support from Italy’s institutional Jewish leadership. Noemi Di Segni, president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI), defended the urgent necessity of the law and previously rejected accusations that Israel’s military actions constitute genocide.

The bill has also created divisions within political parties, including the Democratic Party and the Five Star Movement, where figures like Stefania Ascari strongly criticized the legislation outside parliament. With the committee session concluding without a vote, discussions are set to resume ahead of a scheduled final plenary vote on October 2.