Press release: 75% of Italian Jewish respondents avoid wearing Jewish symbols in public, FRA survey finds
29/07/2024
Find the Italian version here.
On July 11, 2024, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) published its third survey on Jewish people’s experiences and perceptions of antisemitism.[1] Conducted from January to June 2023, the survey engaged almost 8,000 Jews aged 16 or over from 13 EU countries.[2] Predating the events of October 7,[3] the survey underscores the persistence of antisemitism in Europe and demonstrates the negative effects it has on the well-being of Jewish individuals and communities as well as broader efforts towards social cohesion. The FRA surveys are particularly important as they offer comprehensive data from the perspective of those most impacted and allow for comparisons over time. The data also provides policymakers with crucial insights to help them develop and implement effective, targeted interventions.
The FRA survey data for Italy[4] shows that more needs to be done to ensure that Jewish respondents can openly live their Jewish identity and feel safe in society. Indeed, 98% of respondents reported they have encountered antisemitism in their daily life in the year before the survey and 75% said they avoid wearing Jewish symbols in public at least occasionally. This is consistent with the overall findings from other European countries. Further, 39% of individuals in Italy worry about harassment and 28% fear that a family member or friend could be physically attacked. Yet despite this troubling context, the majority of respondents do not report any kind of antisemitic discrimination, harassment or violence.
Under-reporting of antisemitic discrimination and hate incidents
The survey indicates that under-reporting is common among Jewish respondents in Italy: only 34% reported antisemitic harassment, while 29% reported online antisemitism. When it comes to discrimination, the rate of reporting in Italy is 9%. This data underscores that Jewish individuals need to feel more included in Italian society.
CEJI’s Work in Italy
“Jewish people throughout Europe must be guaranteed full enjoyment of democratic life and citizenship. Greater coordination of all institutional and civil society actors engaged in the fight against antisemitism is essential to improve governmental responses. Recognition of the Jewish contribution to European societies and the promotion of Jewish life are essential pillars for overcoming prejudice and creating inclusive spaces in which Jewish communities can flourish.” – Melissa Sonnino, Senior Programme Manager at CEJI and Director of the Facing Facts Network.
CEJI – A Jewish Contribution to an inclusive Europe[5] aims to help all relevant stakeholders improve their responses to antisemitism. One flagship activity is NOA–Networks Overcoming Antisemitism,[6] which published a series of National Report Cards analysing government measures to combat antisemitism and foster Jewish life. Some key findings of the Italian Report Card were the need to improve hate crime recording systems and the need to increase trainings for teachers and public authority officers on antisemitism and hate speech. Recommendations include:
- Developing an official list of antisemitic bias indicators for the Italian context and disseminating it throughout the law enforcement system.
- Enhancing the exchange of data between public agencies, Jewish institutions, communities, and CSOs by collaborating on different activities.
- Improving law enforcement education through better use of existing training resources. Training for criminal justice professionals should reference the IHRA working definition of antisemitism.[7]
CEJI’s work in Italy is focused on collaborating with local stakeholders, working with law enforcement and teachers, amongst others, and supporting efforts to tackle online hatred. Activities include:
Training law enforcement
- To improve hate crime recording procedures, CEJI and Facing Facts, [8] in collaboration with the government-run Observatory for Security against Acts of Discrimination (OSCAD), developed a course on hate crime for law enforcement, which is currently available on the dedicated law enforcement online platform SISFOR.[9]
- The national equality body UNAR[10] coordinates the EU-funded project Fight against Antisemitism through training and awareness raising activities (FADE),[11] with the active participation of CEJI and Facing Facts. FADE aims to standardise the reporting of antisemitic hate crimes and hate speech and improve coordination among diverse stakeholders such as police officers, lawyers, prosecutors and judges.
Training teachers and educators
In 2025, CEJI will launch the programme Overcoming Antisemitism Train-The-Trainer (TTT)[12] in Italy, which will equip educators with awareness, skills and tools to counter antisemitic biases and create inclusive environments.
Tackling online antisemitism
In order to make recommendations to enhance collaboration in the field, Facing Facts commissioned a Policy Brief on the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA).[13] AGCOM, the DSA National Coordinator, [14] and the National Coordinator for the Fight against Antisemitism are encouraged to enhance dialogue between the Union of the Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI), civil society organisations (CSOs), social media platforms and other stakeholders involved in monitoring social media. These stakeholders can also be called upon to support the Commission’s initiative to make hate crime and hate speech EU crimes in the European Council.
Subscribe to the CEJI and Facing Facts Newsletters to follow news on anti-discrimination news, policies and events in Europe. For more information, contact facingfacts@ceji.org and ceji@ceji.org.
ANNEX: NOA REPORT CARDS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Conclusion of the Executive Summary of the NOA Report Card for Italy
[1] “Jewish People’s Experiences and Perceptions of Antisemitism,” European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, Vienna, 2024: https://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra_uploads/fra-2024-experiences-perceptions-antisemitism-survey_en.pdf
[2] The participating countries are Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain and Sweden.
[3] Consultations with Jewish communities in January and February 2024 showed that the number of reported antisemitic attacks – including personal harassment, intimidation and violence – increased dramatically across all countries in the survey. See p. 67 of the report for more information.
[4] In Italy, 472 Jews completed the survey. The estimated Jewish population in the country is 34,150. For Italian country data, see: https://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra_uploads/antisemitism_survey_2024_-_country_sheet_italy_0.pdf
[5] See: https://ceji.org/
[6] See: https://www.noa-project.eu/
[7] See: https://holocaustremembrance.com/resources/working-definition-antisemitism
[8] See: https://www.facingfacts.eu/
[9] The course is not compulsory. For more, see: https://www.facingfacts.eu/blog/facing-facts-italy-s-experience/
[10] See: https://www.unar.it/portale/
[11] Training for judges and law enforcement is also part of the EU-funded FADE project which UNAR coordinates with the participation of the National Office for combating antisemitism and stakeholders such as UCEI, CEJI and the CDEC Foundation. For more information, see: unar.it/portale/web/guest/progetto-f.a.d.e.
[12] See: https://www.noa-project.eu/train-the-trainer/
[13] See: https://www.facingfacts.eu/facing-facts-policy-brief/
[14] The Digital Services Act (DSA) is an EU legislation which aims to create a safer online environment for consumers and companies by creating a set of rules designed to prevent illegal and harmful activities online and curtail the spread of disinformation. See: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/EN/legal-content/summary/digital-services-act.html
