Italy’s Parliament Approves Holocaust Denial Criminalization

Italy’s parliament has been discussing a bill to criminalize Holocaust denial for the past 10 years. Other laws are now in effect; public incitement to racial hatred and such things are penalized, but Holocaust denial was not criminalized like it is in 14 other countries in Europe until now.  

The first step to pass this bill was taken last year by the Upper House, the Italian Senate, where a bill was passed to criminalize those who commit public incitement to discriminate against others using partially or totally the denial of the Holocaust. Some Italian lawmakers wanted to avoid restricting and penalizing “opinions,” so this bill was not easy to pass. Yet after passing in the Senate, just a few days ago, the Lower House has also approved the final bill.

“This new law represents a significant step forward so that the Italian legal system can effectively prosecute professional haters and deniers, while preserving the inviolable right to freedom of research and opinion.”

That is what the president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI), Renzo Gattegna,  said, according to the worldjewishcongress.org site.

Columnist Pierluigi Battista, among other voices in Italy that are not happy about the decision to criminalize  Holocaust denial, wrote:

“It would be better to counter negationist views with public arguments than ‘liberticidal’ laws that extend censorship… Censorship is an insatiable monster: It constantly extends its boundaries, covering an ever greater number of opinions that are labeled as crimes, which instead may be disgusting, but not criminal.”

Battista is of course dead right about this virus that wants to legislate every word and thought regarding the Holocaust question.