In Italy, as in all of Europe, there has been a sharp increase in antisemitism. This phenomenon mainly concerns the youth and the younger. This trend has been confirmed in a survey authorized by the parliamentary commission for constitutional matters. The survey portrays a concern for a still existent phenomenon: “The fact that antisemitism is a common prejudice among youngsters and youth across Europe, including in Italy – as emphasized in the text – is a matter of political significance which should bring about the utmost concern”.
According to a survey carried out by the Iard institute for parliament’s Osservatorio, on the subject of xenophobia and racism, “22 percent of the youngsters in Italy demonstrate aversion towards Jews”. In respect to teenagers, the study alerts that they tend to mix between antisemitism and criticism of Israel and Zionism, thus “mixing the image of the Jew with the image of the Israeli soldier”. Therefore, a decisive importance is attributed to the school’s role in the issue of “prevention of the spreading of antisemitic opinions amongst adolescents”. Part of the survey is devoted to the phenomenon of the online availability of information/disinformation: the number of registered antisemitic sites has increased from 5 in 1995 to 8,000 in 2008. “With the advent of the internet, there has been a beyond of proportions increase in the number of incidents once considered as minor and limited incidents, such as the scrawling and spraying of hate signs on walls across the cities’ streets and the publication of certain sectorial ideological contents”. But actually, the phenomenon was boosted mainly by the social networking websites. Concerning this subject, the Mancino Law, which brought in fact about the disappearance of the skinhead movements, constitute an “unsuitable” tool when it comes to coping with the spreading of the internet and the social networking websites. The authorized text defines the antisemitism online as a “global problem that should be given a global response”. There should be a focus on the providers, and work and organizational methods proven as effective in the control and in the vilifying of websites considered as “instruments for the delivery of cruel hatred” should be encouraged.
