July 17, 2012

ROME (JTA) – The Italian government plans to introduce new legislation to beef up measures countering anti-Semitism and hate speech in cyberspace.

Integration Minister Andrea Riccardi told Jewish leaders at Rome’s main synagogue during a meeting Monday that he was working with the country’s Justice Minister and Interior Minister to “give a clear response to those who disseminate hatred via the Internet.”

Riccardi said he planned to introduce measures that could allow the postal police to block racist web sites and also target regular visitors “to these shameful web pages.”

The increase in the number of web sites with racist, xenophobic and anti-Semitic content, he said, “requires the government to update the measures currently in force.”

The government, Riccardi said, wanted to send “a strong message: we want to intervene. We have this responsibility, particularly after the attack in Toulouse.” He was referring to the terror attacks in Toulouse, France, in March that killed three students and a teacher at a Jewish school and also two Muslim soldiers.

“You can’t just cry after every massacre and then forget the tears,” he said during the round-table discussion. “Tears have to become concrete commitments to fight against the sowers of hatred.”

At the same meeting, Rome Jewish Community President Riccardo Pacifici called on Parliament to take steps to pass a law banning Holocaust denial.
 

Follow us on Twitter for breaking Jewish news updates.

Click to login and write a letter to the editor.

This article was made possible by the support of readers like you. Donate to JTA now.