Over 2000 Italian lecturers signed

document against draft laws

criticizing Israel as a crime

Date: 16 dicembre 2025 Author: Balthazar’s FeastBabylonian Empire/over-2000-Italian-exponent-signal-document-against-recognition-critic-Israel-for-critique

The Italian academic planet is mobilising against draft laws that are designed to transform the operational definition of anti-Semitism of the global Alliance for Holocaust Memorial (IHRA) In legally binding standard. In just a fewer hours, 2031 professors and scientists signed under appeal for withdrawal of draft laws signed by Graziano Delrio respectively (Left Democratic Party) and Maurizio Gasparri (Right-wing Forza Italia)and to retreat Italy’s decision to adopt the definition of IHRA in 2020.

According to the signatories "IHRA anti-Semitism definition"threatens to respect criticism of the State of Israel and Zionism as a crime of anti-Semitism, and so "is a immense threat to our academic freedom and to our teaching." Among the signatories are well known scientists specified as Angelo d’Orsi and Donatella Della Porta, as well as many academic and technological associations. https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1YyUjMyjVoZc5aZ23fUyockVLsZswkCgrMO2F83eihV8/mobilebase

Draft bill presented by Democratic organization Senators, with Graziano Delrio as first signatory, combined with a akin text by Maurizio Gasparri of the organization Forza Italiawhich immediately agreed to adopt the two-party text, aims to introduce a legally binding definition of anti-Semitism into our legal system.

The heart of the regulation is the adoption of an operational definition of IHRA, besides shared by another European countries and global institutions, which includes as examples of anti-Semitism besides any forms of extremist criticism of the State of Israel or Zionism, its founding ideology.

IHRA definition describes anti-Semitism as “The certain perception of Jews that may be expressed as hatred of Jews; verbal and physical manifestations of anti-Semitism are directed against persons of judaic or non-Jewish origin and/or against their property, judaic community institutions and places of worship.” Such an approach threatens to introduce non-legal concepts into criminal law and extend the scope of the application of the law to legitimate statements and analyses of sovereign state policy.

In the text of the appeal, signatories They openly talk about a dangerous quality leap: in ours The legal strategy has no precedent in which criticism of the state would be criminal. They besides point to the introduction of a affirmative law vague and politically oriented definition, inappropriate as a legal parameter, especially in investigation and teaching areas. They argue that the Gasparri-Delrio Act does not strengthen the fight against anti-Semitism, but weakens its credibility, confusing anti-Jewish hatred with political opposition and By generating a bullying effect.

The paper explains, that IHRA is promoted by massive diplomatic efforts through Israel, ‘which uses it as a tool to defend serious violations of global law and human rights which are permittedIt’s okay. ” Therefore, it appears ‘The will to silence critical voices and cognition in many fields of university studies and spacesthat were one of the pillars of opposition to the demolition of Gaza's population and our government's engagement in the crimes of IsraelIt’s okay. ”

The threat is not abstract: This is it threat of self-censorship, supervision of knowledge, regulation of constitutional freedoms in the name of security, which can and must be guaranteed through existing legal instruments.

In particular, according to the petitioners, use of analytical categories specified as "Self-colonialism", "ethnic cleansing" is ‘apartheid’ in an academic context may be misunderstood as criminal discrimination, just due to the fact that it is is included in the definition of anti-Semitism, which the bill would like to adopt. This is simply a fresh script where State policy criticism can be treated at the same level as racial hatred.

The political consequence to the bill was varied. Alsoin the Democratic organization itself, voices have risen against – considered inappropriate – the recognition of anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel.

The signatures collected in just a fewer hours under an academic appeal show the strength of the debate, which will surely not end with the entry of the bill on the agenda of Parliament. The stakes are not only a miswritten part of legislation, but the thought of a democratic public space itself: a place where cognition should not ask for permission, nor can criticism be considered a crime.

INFO: https://www.lindipendente.online/2025/12/15/oltre-duemila-docenti-firmo-contro-i-ddl-che-criminalizzano-le-critiche-a-israele/