Italy is dedicated to fighting antisemitic and other kinds of hate speech. Current Italian research shows the increasing and complex nature of hate speech online. This was highlighted at an international seminar on combating hate speech on 28 March, organised by Italy’s antidiscrimination body UNAR and Italian antisemitism representative, Milena Santerini at the Catholic University of Milan.

In my address, I commended Italy’s progress in this area and emphasized the importance of European policies and initiatives to combat illegal hate speech online, including those of the Council of Europe. I was also able to visit the Milan Shoah Memorial which is a powerful symbol of fighting indifference and passing on remembrance, as also stipulated in the Council of Europe Recommendation on passing on remembrance of the Holocaust and preventing crimes against humanity.

Selected media coverage

 Video

 https://secondotempo.cattolicanews.it/news-un-alleanza-piu-che-mai-necessaria-contro-l-odio-online

 https://www.weca.it/news/media-e-policy-makers-interpellati-dallhate-speech/

 https://www.agensir.it/quotidiano/2022/3/28/hate-speech-milano-convegno-sui-discorsi-dodio-nellinfosfera-della-comunicazione-intervengono-holtgen-e-santerini/

 https://www.osservatorioantisemitismo.it/articoli/intervista-a-daniel-holtgen-rappresentante-del-consiglio-deuropa-sui-crimini-dodio/