An 89-year-old Holocaust survivor from Auschwitz, Italy’s lifelong senator in Italy, has unintentionally sparked one of the country’s most intense anti-Semitic debates since the end of the country’s post-World War II fascist dictatorship.
After discovering that she was subjected to about 200 attacks on a social network daily, Liliana Segra called for the establishment of a parliamentary committee to combat hate, racism and anti-Semitism. Parliament approved her request, but without the support of the right-wing parties, including the “League” of former Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Slavini, the party of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi “Forza Italy” and the far-right party “Brothers of Italy”. All abstained from supporting the establishment of the Commission, in a move that is contrary to the social consensus that prevailed in postwar Italian politics.
Last week’s vote, along with a series of racist readings on the football fields, drew attention to the rise of anti-Semitism and racism in Italy, and the role of politicians in encouraging them.
On Thursday, the state radio station reported that Milan’s police department, subordinate to the interior minister, had placed security around Segra because of the threats against it.
The Israeli ambassador to Italy expressed his dissatisfaction with the threats. “An 89-year-old survivor who needs escort signifies the danger that Jewish communities in Europe today face,” Ambassador Dror Eider wrote.
Italy’s “Brotherhood” leader Maloney said she abstained because the commission did not address radical Islam’s part in anti-Semitism. Slavini said he feared the proposal would restrict freedom of expression and that “the left will define racism for what we believe is the right or right to say ‘Italian first’.” In Berlusconi’s party, they called it an attempt at “political censorship.”
Ricardo Pachipici, a former leader of the Jewish community in Rome and a member of the capital’s Holocaust Foundation, said the reasons they gave were limited. “But if we find that the real reason why they did not vote is because they were afraid of losing the right-wing support, I believe Jews will be a problem in Italy as well,” he said.
Cases of racism are also making headlines, such as the “monkey” readings aimed at striking Mario Bellotelli during a football game last Sunday. Balutelli, who is black in color, was upset and threatened to leave the field, but Slavini, an avid football fan, said “the fuss was excessive.”
The head of the Jewish community in Rome, Italy’s largest, said the commission’s vote alongside “manifestations of anti-Semitism, racism, discrimination and hatred” are signs that the atmosphere has changed. ” The establishment of the committee, they had to consider it better, “said Ruth Durglow in a phone call from Poland, where she visited Auschwitz with students.
Segra was 13 when she was sent to Auschwitz, where her father and grandparents were murdered by her father. She has spent the last several decades telling stories about her experiences during the Holocaust to young people.
She was during such a visit Tuesday in Milan, when asked if she would respond to a statement by Celebini, who, following the storm, said he wanted to meet her. “I’ll meet him, of course, why not?” she asked. “If I don’t hate, why don’t I open the door?”
