The case of the online mapping of "Zionist tourism" in Italy. Delrio: "These are blacklists"

“We are essentially talking about blacklists: we are returning to that extremely dangerous climate that preceded the racial laws.” This was the comment made by Democratic Party Senator Graziano Delrio on the news of an online questionnaire that was allegedly intended to “map Zionist tourism in Italy”. A full-scale online reporting campaign, circulated via chat groups, called for the registration of Israeli or Jewish citizens staying in hotels, accommodation facilities and commercial establishments across the country – not to carry out “profiling based on nationality or religion, but for identification purposes”, as stated on the form (which was withdrawn following the reports) in an attempt to justify the registration exercise. “These are incidents that should not be underestimated because anti-Semitism, as I have always said, is not a problem for Jews; it is a problem for democracy,” added the former Transport Minister.

The online questionnaire asked respondents not only to indicate whether the presence of Zionist tourism was linked to "recreational tourism for Zionist soldiers", "trafficking", "institutional events/links" or "other", but also to specify the location, asking them to provide "as many details as possible about the place". As for “the time frame, the season or year is sufficient, especially when referring to past events or those that have recurred several times in the same season”. Naturally, what happened has sparked widespread outrage. From the president of the Jewish Community of Milan, Walker Meghnagi, who said “we are returning to the 1930s, to the persecution of Jews”, to the association Due Popoli Due Stati, which described it as “an organised collection of information” which, whilst claiming not to profile anyone by nationality or religion, retains “a discriminatory and intimidating nature”. This has even led to condemnation from Sinistra per Israele by the Democratic Party (PD) politician Emanuele Fiano.

Precisely to combat these incidents of anti-Semitism in recent months, the Senate’s Constitutional Affairs Committee has reached a consensus on a draft bill introducing into Italian law the definition of anti-Semitism formulated by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which was strongly championed by Delrio. However, the PD was divided on this issue because that definition was considered too broad, to the extent that PD Senator Andrea Giorgis was tasked by Francesco Boccia – the party’s leader in the Senate and a staunch supporter of Secretary Elly Schlein – with finding a compromise between the party’s various viewpoints and presenting a different bill. In the end, in March, the text referring to the IHRA definition was approved in the Senate, with the PD abstaining; however, six PD members voted against their group’s position. Among them was Graziano Delrio.

Tomorrow the bill will resume its passage through the Chamber of Deputies, and when we ask him whether the law will be passed by the end of this parliamentary term, the former Transport Minister appears unconcerned: “It seems to me that all the timing and political conditions are in place. Anti-Semitism has now become an emergency throughout the world, so it is important to send a clear signal of a firm stance and great resolve on this issue.” Among the latest incidents of anti-Semitism in our country is the case of the resort in the province of Ostuni in Puglia, which has been targeted by activists and left-wing groups because, they allege, it is part of an “Israeli colonisation”. “Anti-Semitism,” says the Democratic Party senator, “is the oldest form of hatred in existence and for this reason must never be underestimated. That said, there is a confusion that does not arise with other peoples: unfortunately, it seems that Jews are held collectively responsible for the actions of Israel’s interim government. But this only happens to them; it does not happen to Turkey: no Turk is held to account for Erdogan’s actions, which, as we know, are not particularly democratic either. So there is this long-standing anomaly which, precisely because it has always been a precursor to far worse things, I believe requires great democratic vigilance.”