ITALY: Senate advances law on antisemitism, adopting controversial IHRA definition
The Constitutional Affairs Committee in the Italian Senate approved a draft law on antisemitism on 27 January 2026. The first article of the draft law adopts the controversial definition of antisemitism by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which experts warn has been used to wrongly label criticism of Israel as antisemitic. The second article of the proposal introduces the creation of a database gathering all violations under the first article. The third article allows public authorities to deny the authorisation of a protest if there is a risk that antisemitic symbols or slogans will be displayed during the assembly.
Based on the examples of antisemitism provided in the IHRA definition, statements condemning Israel’s human rights and international law violations against the Palestinian people could be considered as manifestations of contemporary antisemitism. Similarly, engaging in boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) initiatives against the state of Israel or Israeli companies could be labelled as antisemitic under the definition. Civil society and scholars have expressed concerns that this law risks having a chilling effect on freedom of expression and civic activism, as well as potentially breaching European law. The law proposal is currently under examination in the Senate, after which it will be debated in the Chamber of Deputies and become law if approved by both.