Matteo Salvini Speaks Out Against Jew-Hatred

I have a high regard for Matteo Salvini, the former Italian Interior Minister and the leader of the Lega. However, in the following video (which is an excerpt from a speech given on January 16 in the Italian Senate) there is a significant point on which I disagree with him.

Among other things, Mr. Salvini puts forward the idea that it should be against the law to “oppose the existence of the State of Israel as the home of the Jewish people”. There are several reasons why I find this idea repugnant.

Firstly, as far as I know, the only such laws being proposed concern the Jewish people and Israel. I don’t think anyone wants to criminalize, say, opposition to the creation of Kurdistan as a homeland for the Kurds. And there are so many others — Frisia, the Sami, the Navajo, Tibet, Chechnya, and Baluchistan, just to name a few. Should we pass laws against opposition to the creation (or re-establishment) of homelands for all those peoples? If not, how can we pass laws against opposing the State of Israel and still keep any semblance of fairness?

Secondly, as a dyed-in-the-wool American I have a deep loathing for any legal restrictions on speech. I’m willing to concede that it may be a good idea to outlaw explicit, direct, and immediate incitement to violence, but that’s about it. I find Jew-hatred to be vile, but I think Jew-haters should be able to express their vitriol whenever they want without legal hindrance.

This video is a brief segment from a much longer speech. Vlad thinks a complete transcript might show that Mr. Salvini only intends to criminalize organizations that attempt to interfere with Italian foreign policy concerning the sovereign State of Israel. If that turns out to be the case, then it’s a somewhat different matter. But for the nonce all we have is what you see below.

Many thanks to FouseSquawk for the translation, and to Vlad Tepes for the subtitling:

Below is an interview with Mr. Salvini on the same topic from La Stampa, also translated by FouseSquawk:

Salvini: “Anti-Semitism in Italy? It’s the fault of Muslim immigrants”

Ex-minister of Interior: “With me as prime minister, Jerusalem will be recognized as capital of Israel”

Tel Aviv: If he becomes prime minister, Matteo Salvini will recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. That is what the secretary of the Lega said in an interview today with the newspaper Israel Ha-Yoom, in which he called on the EU to ban BDS, the boycott movement against Israel. A few days after the Senate conference on anti-Semitism, Salvini has reiterated to the newspaper — considered close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — that the Lega has no ties with political organizations like Casa Pound, Forza Nuova and Fiamma, which are defined by the newspaper as “anti-Semitic.”

To a question about the resurgence of anti-Semitism in Europe, which will be discussed January 22-23 on the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, Salvini said, “In my opinion, this has to do with the strengthening of extremism and Islamic fanaticism in recent years. It is very important to stress,” he added, “that this is connected to the fact that certain elements in the academic world and the media are mobilized against Israel and they create a hatred towards Israel in order to justify anti-Semitism.”

“Currently, the massive presence of immigrants coming from Muslim countries,” he continued after also recalling the existence of minor political Nazi and communist political movements, contributes to the spread of anti-Semitism also in Italy. “There is,” he complained, “an anti-Semitism on the extreme right and the extreme left. We think of Jeremy Corbyn or leftist activists in Germany who don’t want to be like the Nazis, yet they are found boycotting Israeli products.” To a question on the relations of the Lega with “anti-Semitic political groups”, Salvini answered that “we have no connections with those organizations. In the elections, parties like Casa Pound, Forza Nuova, and Fiamma come out against us.” This shows “we have no ties to them.”

Video transcript:

00:00   …This statement establishes that to oppose the existence of the state of Israel as
00:05   the home of the Jewish people, this is anti-Semitism.
00:10   and the countries who do not recognize, who boycott, or fight against Israel,
00:14   are a danger, now and tomorrow.
00:19   To deny the right of self-determination to the Jewish people
00:23   means to support the destruction of the state of Israel,
00:27   and, therefore, those who support the self-determination of other peoples in the world,
00:32   Kurds, Palestinians, Tibetans, and deny it for Jews,
00:36   obviously act with duplicity.
00:40   I think that anti-Semitism is treated and prevented through education,
00:47   but also with the law because
00:50   to hate Israel and the Jewish people
00:54   is a crime that in history has already done too much damage.
00:58   In Austria, this declaration has already been adopted,
01:02   and a new resolution is being prepared, and we will present this as well
01:07   in the Italian Parliament. As with groups of the Lega, all of the principal parties of the
01:11   Austrian Parliament have, in fact, decided to vote to place
01:15   the anti-Israel, anti-Semitic boycott movement outside the law,
01:20   which unfortunately, encounters a terrain of propaganda and vulgarization
01:26   in some Italian environments. Moreover, we are also following with interest
01:31   the resolution of the American President Trump, who has signed a new
01:35   executive order on the fight against anti-Semitism
01:39   during the month of December, in which is prohibited the cultural and political structure
01:43   of promoting the denial of
01:47   the right of self-determination of the Jewish people.
01:51   And I recall if we are concerned with anti-Semitism by extremists,
01:56   black, red, whatever they are, we are also more concerned
02:00   with the anti-Semitism that is accepted in some institutions…
02:06   without spirited debate, however, a European Union that denies
02:10   its Judeo-Christian roots. A European Union
02:14   that labels Israeli products
02:18   produced in disputed territories. A UN
02:23   Which in 2018 dedicated 27 condemnations of Israel
02:27   in security resolutions, and one
02:31   against Iran, and not even one on human rights in China and Turkey
02:36   obviously represents a problem as does UNESCO, which does not recognize
02:42   the obvious true history that Jerusalem is a demonstrably historic Jewish heritage.
02:48   And Jerusalem, as far as I am concerned, was, is, and will be the capital
02:52   of the state of Israel. Therefore, combat with education,
02:56   combat with prevention, combat, where useful,
03:00   with repression, which is not a bad word when
03:04   we are talking about the values of the rights and survival of a single person or people…
 

17 thoughts on “Matteo Salvini Speaks Out Against Jew-Hatred

  1. How will we get to heaven if we hate on da joos? Only crackas and whiteys can be hated on for being meanies and bully conquerors!
    We need a group hug in the safe space. I have some hot cocoa on and some marshmallows.
    Let me grab my acoustic guitar…peepo whoo need peepoe.

  2. Baron, the Europeans don’t understand free speech. Or maybe it’s more realistic to say that they are wishing they had it… but after 75 years of not quite having it, they keep wishy washy about it.

    What is really scary is that Florida now has hate speech laws on the books. They got the Florida J..s to support the legislation, so far only about antisemitism and yes, against Israel. In the works is hate speech law against those who say anti-Christian (and anti-Vatican!) stuff, and you know that islamic blasphemy laws are not far behind.

    It is completely unconstitutional. Where is the outcry? Was passed last spring, I believe.

    • I don’t see how the US is going to avoid ending up with European style hate speech laws. Both of us are infected with the same virus.

      Whether it’s hate speech or hate crimes – In the old America those kinds of laws would never have seen the light of day. But now we can see people in the general population, and people in power, itching to pass them.

      https://tinyurl.com/uwdq6kf

      “Attorney General Herring reintroducing legislation to protect Virginians from hate crimes and white supremacist violence”

      “We each have a right, as Virginians, to feel safe and protected from hate in our communities,” said Delegate Lamont Bagby (74th District).

      “Keeping guns away from those convicted of hate crimes. This bill will close a loophole and ensure that anyone convicted of a hate crime is barred from possessing a gun. (Delegate Rip Sullivan)”

    • Funny. I don’t see Americans protecting their free speech much. In fact, I dare say some parts of Europe have currently a much better environment for free speech than America.

      • Eastern Europeans are resisting the whole PC culture, but the laws do not protect them. Only peer pressure. It’s just that the poisonous snowflakes have not been able to shut down the humor that got people through communism.

        In the Czech Republic, some quislings have taken matters into their own hands, calling themselves elves, for tracking “online disinformation” and squealing to the authorities when they in their elfish wisdom find such evil disinformers.

    • Which Christian country is being targeted for boycott by organised Christian-haters who also want you dead?

  3. If he only he didnt bring up that complete non-entitey known as “Judeo-Christian” culture. Judaism and Christianity are distinct.
    Judaism=Kosher, Shalom Aleichem, Head coverings , Mosaic law(orthodox), Semitic, Chauvinist
    Islam=Halal, as-Saalam-aleikam, Head coverings, sharia law, Semitic, Chauvinist
    hmmmmm…..
    But at least the jews dont want to spread their religion I guess

    • Historically speaking, Judeo-Christian culture is definitely apropos to bring up. Christianity would not exist without Judaism being the first monotheistic religion. If Yashua the Jew hadn’t been born, Christianity wouldn’t have been born. For better or worse, without Judaism, Islam wouldn’t have been born either.

  4. the joos must have something, some info in Salvini that he doesn’t want the public to know ….

  5. You know, I’m getting tired of this special treatment of Jews. Every country throughout all of history has to fight for it place in the sun, otherwise it perishes. Israel is very good at it. There’s little reason to monitor what someone says. I’m certain Italy already has anti-discrimination laws and that’s all that’s needed. If someone actually discriminates against another person based solely on their skincolour, religion or sex, those laws can be applied. There’s absolutely no reason to 1) make more laws on this topic 2) make special laws for certain groups.

    • There is when you don’t enforce the existing laws and fund killers of those who are victimised.
      What on earth makes you think this law will even be enforced?
      Laws are ways of talking big but they only count when enforced.

      Italians as well as all govts fund the jihadi Jew-killing maniacs of “Palestine”.
      If they ever stop this funding we’ll see they mean what they say.

    • Jews got tired of being singled out for “special” treatment years ago.
      What was left of them that is, after generations of “special treatment”.

      Now they are singled out for “special treatment” by Islamic manians funded by proPalestinian groups, Islamic terror organisations, Lefty groups, right groups who pursue “Zionist” conspiracy theories and support “Palestine” etc, all to eradicate Jews off the face of the earth.
      They’re sick and tired of that too.

  6. I agree with the Baron on freedom of speech, but it is the “sticks and stones” that concern me. Bad people take hostages (and sometimes murder them), bad people use their own as human-shields, bad people terrorise their own as well as the ‘other’, but above all, bad people are those who support and encourage those who do the above.

    This includes many religious and left leaning organisations that should know better.

    Supporting terrorists and terrorism is evil, but we must allow people to think evil as even the idea of policing ‘thought’ is every bit as bad as policing speech; call a jooo a Jew and a spade a Spade, and with it, dig the grave of your own credibility.

  7. To Mr. Salvini,

    Thank you for your kind words for a people that are reviled by the “new Europeans.” I am an American Gentile at heart but I converted to Judaism and have lived in Israel and I know the country and the people well. May G-d bless you for all you have done for Israel and for Italy. The Italians may not treat you kindly but we Israelis value your wisdom and your actions.

    Susan the Warrior

  8. “Secondly, as a dyed-in-the-wool American I have a deep loathing for any legal restrictions on speech.”

    Same here. The Founding Fathers of the United States of America made it very clear. Free speech, means to be free to voice ones opinion without legal, or violent repercussions.

    I hate the whole idea of punishing someone for their ‘hate speech.’ It goes completely against our Constitution.

    We’ll see what various European countries do.

  9. Opposition to the existence of the State of Israel is a declaration of genocide against all Jews, a desire to finish what Hitler started.
    It is not speech, free or otherwise. It is incitement to hatred, backed by various anti Israel actions such as physical harassment of Jews worldwide, constants of jihad against Jews and Israel, funded by govts and various NGOs and organisations.
    No other people or country is targeted for extermination like this, by the Right, the Left, Islam and whatever leftover nutjobs exist.

    As you struggle about the “fairness” of this proposition, Baron, consider how unfair is the disproportionate , hysterical, paranoid nature of the opposition to the State of Israel existing, an example of which is an agenda the UN brought into being solely for the purpose of harassing and condemning Israel, usually on the basis of Islamic lies.

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