In Canada per la seconda conferenza interparlamentare per la lotta all'antisemitismo
Cari amici,
questa settimana ho partecipato ad Ottawa alla seconda conferenza della Coalizione Interparlamentare per la Lotta all'Antisemitismo (ICCA), di cui sono membro del Direttivo internazionale insieme a John Mann, parlamentare inglese; Irwin Cotler, parlamentare ed ex ministro della giustizia canadese; Chris Smith, congressman americano; Yuli Edelstein, ministro israeliano per le questioni della diaspora; Gert Weisskirchen, ex deputato Spd tedesco ed Emmanuelis Zingeris, parlamentare lituano.
Come l'anno scorso con la Conferenza fondativa dell'ICCA, tenutasi a Londra, anche quest'anno il raduno, ospitato dal parlamento e dal governo canadese, è stato un successo: in due giorni molto intensi di lavoro, si sono riunite oltre 150 personalità, tra parlamentari ed esperti, da più di 50 paesi. Sono intervenute le più alte cariche dello stato, compreso il Primo Ministro Stephen Harper che ha pronunicato un discorso estremamente importante.
Oltre a una sessione in plenaria sul ruolo dei parlamenti nel contrasto al fenomeno dell'antisemitismo, dove ho potuto presentare l'ottimo lavoro fatto dal Comitato di Indagine sull'Antisemisimo della Camera dei Deputati, ho presieduto anche un gruppo di lavoro incentrato sul tema del "vecchio e nuovo antisemitismo", di cui vi allego sotto una sintesi dei lavori e le raccomandazioni.
L'altro documento fondamentale che la Conferenza ha prodotto è il "Protocollo di Ottawa", che trovate sempre qui sotto in inglese e che è in corso di traduzione, le cui raccomandazioni si uniscono al documento fondativo dell'ICCA, la Dichiarazione di Londra.
IN CANADA FOR THE SECOND CONFERENCE OF THE INTERPARLIAMENTARY COALITION ON COMBATING ANTISEMITISM (ICCA)
Dear friends,
last week (Nov. 7-9) I was in Ottawa to attend the second conference of the Interpaliamentary Coalition on Combating Antisemitism (ICCA), which I'm a member of the steering committee together with John Mann, British MP, founder of the ICCA; Irwin Cotler, MP, former Canadian Minister of Justice; Chris Smith, congressman; Yuli Edelstein, Israel's Minister for pubblic diplomacy and diaspora affairs; Gert Weisskirchen, former German MP and Emmanuelis Zingeris, Lithuanian MP.
The inaugural ICCA conference was held in London on february 2009. As then, also this second appointment has been a great success: in two days we had very intensive working sessions. Parliamentarians from over 50 countries and representing six continents attended the Conference. The highest Canadian institutions delivered their messages, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
I personally chaired a plenary session on "role of governments and parliaments in contrasting antisemitism" and I could share there with my colleagues the important work we are doing in the Inquiry Committee on Antisemitism of the Italian Chamber of Deputies. I chaired as well a panel on "Old and new antisemitism", with the contribution of great experts as Daniel Goldhagen, Charles Small, Emanuele Ottolenghi and Berthe Kayitesi, that produced a number of practical recommendations I'm glad to share with you below. You can find here also the Ottawa Protocol, which was adopted at the end of the Conference and is going to complete the London Declaration adopted in 2009.
The Ottawa Protocol on Combating Antisemitism
Preamble
We, Representatives of our respective Parliaments from across the world, convening in Ottawa for the second Conference and Summit of the Inter-parliamentary Coalition for Combating Antisemitism, note and reaffirm the London Declaration on Combating Antisemitism as a template document for the fight against antisemitism.
We are concerned that, since the London Conference in February 2009, there continues to be a dramatic increase in recorded antisemitic hate crimes and attacks targeting Jewish persons and property, and Jewish religious, educational and communal institutions.
We remain alarmed by ongoing state-sanctioned genocidal antisemitism and related extremist ideologies. If antisemitism is the most enduring of hatreds, and genocide is the most horrific of crimes, then the convergence of the genocidal intent embodied in antisemitic ideology is the most toxic of combinations.
We are appalled by the resurgence of the classic anti-Jewish libels, including:
- The Blood Libel (that Jews use the blood of children for ritual sacrifice)
- The Jews as “Poisoners of the Wells” – responsible for all evils in the world
- The myth of the “new Protocols of the Elders of Zion” – the tsarist forgery that proclaimed an international Jewish conspiracy bent on world domination – and accuses the Jews of controlling government, the economy, media and public institutions.
- The double entendre of denying the Holocaust – accusing the Jews of fabricating the Holocaust as a hoax – and the nazification of the Jew and the Jewish people.
We are alarmed by the explosion of antisemitism and hate on the Internet, a medium crucial for the promotion and protection of freedom of expression, freedom of information, and the participation of civil society.
We are concerned over the failure of most OSCE participating states to fully implement provisions of the 2004 Berlin Declaration, including the commitment to:
“Collect and maintain reliable information and statistics about antisemitic crimes, and other hate crimes, committed within their territory, report such information periodically to the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), and make this information available to the public.”
We are concerned by the reported incidents of antisemitism on campuses, such as acts of violence, verbal abuse, rank intolerance, and assaults on those committed to free inquiry, while undermining fundamental academic values.
We renew our call for national Governments, Parliaments, international institutions, political and civic leaders, NGOs, and civil society to affirm democratic and human values, build societies based on respect and citizenship and combat any manifestations of antisemitism and all forms of discrimination.
We reaffirm the EUMC – now Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) – working definition of antisemitism, which sets forth that:
“Contemporary examples of antisemitism in public life, the media, schools, the workplace, and in the religious sphere could, taking into account the overall context, include, but are not limited to:
* Calling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or harming of Jews in the name of radical ideology or an extremist view of religion.
* Making mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as collective – such as, especially but not exclusively – the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy, or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions.
* Accusing Jews as a people of being responsible for real or imagined wrongdoing committed by a single Jewish person or group, or even for acts committed by non-Jews.
* Denying the fact, scope, mechanisms (e.g. gas chambers) or intentionality of the genocide of the Jewish people at the hands of National Socialist Germany and its supporters and accomplices during World War II (the Holocaust).
* Accusing the Jews as a people, or Israel as a state, of inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust.
* Accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel, or to the alleged priorities of Jews worldwide, than to the interests of their own nations.
Examples of the ways in which antisemitism manifests itself with regard to the State of Israel taking into account the overall context could include:
* Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour.
* Applying double standards by requiring of it behaviour not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.
* Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g. claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis.
* Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.
* Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the State of Israel.
However, criticism of Israel similar to that levelled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic.
Let it be clear: Criticism of Israel is not antisemitic, and saying so is wrong. But singling Israel out for selective condemnation and opprobrium – let alone denying its right to exist or seeking its destruction – is discriminatory and hateful, and not saying so is dishonest.
Members of Parliament meeting in Ottawa commit to:
1. Calling on our Governments to uphold international commitments on combating antisemitism – such as the OSCE Berlin Principles – and to engage with the United Nations for that purpose. In the words of former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, “It is […] rightly said that the United Nations emerged from the ashes of the Holocaust. And a Human Rights agenda that fails to address antisemitism denies its own history”;
2. Calling on Parliaments and Governments to adopt the EUMC Working Definition of Antisemitism and anchor its enforcement in existing law;
3. Encouraging countries throughout the world to establish mechanisms for reporting and monitoring on domestic and international antisemitism, along the lines of the “Combating Antisemitism Act of 2010” recently introduced in the United States Congress;
4. Encouraging the leaders of all religious faiths – represented also at this Conference – to use all means possible to combat antisemitism and all forms of hatred and discrimination;
5. Calling on the Parliamentary Forum of the Community of Democracies to make the combating of hatred and antisemitism a priority in their work;
6. Calling on Governments and Parliamentarians to reaffirm and implement the Genocide Convention, recognising that where there is incitement to genocide, State parties have an obligation to act;
7. Working with universities to encourage them to combat antisemitism with the same seriousness with which they confront other forms of hate. Specifically, universities should be invited to define antisemitism clearly, provide specific examples, and enforce conduct codes firmly, while ensuring compliance with freedom of speech and the principle of academic freedom. Universities should use the EUMC Working Definition of Antisemitism as a basis for education, training and orientation. Indeed, there should be zero tolerance for discrimination of any kind against anyone in the university community on the basis of race, gender, religion, ethnic origin, sexual orientation or political position;
8. We encourage the European Union to promote civic education and open society in its European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) and to link funding to democratic development and respect for Human Rights in ENP partner countries;
9. Establishing an International Task Force of Internet specialists comprised of parliamentarians and experts to create common indicators to identify and monitor antisemitism and other manifestations of hate online and to develop policy recommendations for Governments and international frameworks to address these problems;
10. Building on the African representation at this Conference, to develop increased working relationships with parliamentarians in Africa for the combating of racism and antisemitism;
11. We urge the incoming OSCE Chair, Lithuania, to make implementation of these commitments a priority during 2011 and call for the reappointment of the Special Representatives to assist in this work.
Working Group: "Old and New Antisemitism"
Chair: Dr. Fiamma Nirenstein, M.P., ICCA steering committee member
Experts: Dr. Daniel Goldhagen, Dr. Berthe Kayitesi, Dr. Emanuele Ottolenghi, Dr. Charles Small
SUMMARY:
In each of their presentations theexperts of this working group focused on both traditional (old) antisemitismand its modern (new) variation. The experts were in agreement thatantisemitism is a serious and growing problem across the globe. They alsoagreed that antisemitism is a unique form of hatred in terms of its longevityand genocidal intent. The need to combat antisemitism, in all its forms, wasstressed by all. There was agreement that "what starts with the Jews, does notend with the Jews" and that combating antisemitism will lead to valuablelessons in combating other forms of hatred. Dr. Berthe Kayitesi, a survivor ofthe Rwandan genocide, spoke of how the lessons of antisemitism and theHolocaust did not prevent the genocide but did assist Rwanda survivors in persevering afterthe tragedy and defining what had happened to them.
Many of the experts focused onIslamism (described as 'radical Islam', 'political Islam', 'Islamo-facism',etc.) and its dominant role in the new antisemitism. Both the Wahhabi (Sunni)form of Islamism, and its financing of virulently antisemitic madrassahs andextremist organizations, and the Iranian-Shia form, exemplified by Iran and itsantisemitic, Holocaust-denying, nuclear weapons-seeking regime, are majorsources of Jew-hatred today. Bothstrains see Jews, America,and the West as enemies that must be defeated.
Dr. Charles Small focused on how theProtocols of the Elders of Zion, a document which laid the foundation ofantisemitism that led to the Holocaust, has in modern times been emulated byIslamists across the globe, for example by the HamasCharter with its repeated call to kill Jews worliwide or by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad' speechesbefore the UN General Assembly.
Dr. Daniel Goldhagen spoke about theneed to view the new antisemitism as a repackaged form of the old antisemitism,not as a new phenomenon. Whereas traditional antisemitism was bred in Europeand by the Church and exported outward, today, the Arab and Islamic worlds areits main sources, from where it is being exported to Europeand beyond. The theme of demonizing Jews as individuals and Israel as the collective identityof the Jewish people is common to both traditional and modern antisemitism.
Dr. Emanuele Ottolenghi spoke of howthemes from traditional antisemitism that are no longer accepted in Westernsocieties today have crept back into public discourse in repackaged formsfocusing mostly on Zionism and Israel. Many of themes, such as demonic powersand conspiracies, are similar and play a major role. This growing antisemitism,if left unchecked and left to develop in its own ways, will become more andmore acceptable in public discourse. This will have theeffect of silencing those who feel targeted, which will in turn marginalizecomponents of our society who disagree with these themes but are humiliated anddefenceless in the wake of this phenomenon. This in turn undermines theirstanding as equal citizens and will undermine the fabric of society. If a group in society is undermined andsingled out and certain views and ways of life are then consideredillegitimate, this group will eventually become second-class citizens in fact,if not in law.
Dr. Goldhagen described that todaythere is also an unprecedented 'international eliminationist coalition against Israel' of Islamists, far-right neo-Nazis andmembers of the far-left who espouse antisemitic views and seek the eliminationof Israelas a Jewish State. This 'coalition' issimilar to the 'international genocidal coalition' of Germans and others whoperpetrated the Holocaust and sought the murder of the global Jewishcommunity. There are also 'unholyalliances' of nations such as Iranand Venezuelawhich contribute to the increase in antisemitism in geographical regions notaccustomed to traditional antisemitism.
The experts also spoke of how thepost-modern notion of truth was inverting the role of the victim and oppressor,especially in cases involving Jews and Israel. Dr. Kayitesi spoke of howprior to being massacred, Tutsis in Rwanda were compared to Nazis, justas antisemites compare Israelis to Nazis today.This is a form ofdelegitimization and demonization which the experts agree crosses the line intoantisemitism. Dr. Small spoke of how ifit is true that Israel is a racist and apartheid state, as many antisemites charge,then so-called liberal human rights defenders are forced to seek thedestruction of this 'racist entity'.
Many participants, including RamJethmalani of India, Joseph Bossano of Gibraltar, Minister Kent and Mr Fishler of Canada, Hon. Jean de Dieu from Rwanda, Dr.Manfred Gesternfeld of Israeland Paolo Casaca of Portugal,posed questions to the panel on various topics of interest.
As chair, Fiamma Nirenstein provided a short summary of the main issues discussed during the working group. What is most worrying in the rise of the new antisemitism is theeliminationist coalition of the far right, far left and Islamists who are themain perpetrators of hate against the Jewish homeland and antisemitismtoday. The frightening fusion ofantisemitism and anti-Zionism is also a concern which must be addressed. PoliticalIslam, both in its Wahhabi and Shia-Iranian-sponsored forms, play a major rolein the new antisemitism and pose the biggest threat to the global Jewishcommunity today. The old and traditional antisemitismis still a concern today, as witnessed by the statements that come out of the Vatican’s recent Synod on the Middle East, which fused traditional theological antisemitism withdelegitimization and demonization of the Jewish State. Also, the overturning ofthe traditional meaning of human rights and the so-called ‘flight of theintellectuals’ to anti-Israel and anti-Jewish causes must be addressed.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
- Having taken into consideration the dramaticincrease in antisemitic incidents worldwide and having considered the universalface of antisemitism, which starts with the Jews, but never ends with them, weurge parliaments and governments across the globe to abhor this phenomenon andto unite in a concerted fashion to combat it in the most outspoken andunequivocal ways and without any compromises.
- Werecommend that the phenomenon of rising antisemitism be raised in every avenuepossible, including in all fields of civil society, and combated by allinstitutional, educational, and legal means available. In many cases, legislative and legalmechanisms already exist to combat antisemitism but must be enforced morefrequently. In cases where these mechanismsare weak or do not exist, we call on parliaments and governments to strengthen and/orcreate them.
- Having observed that the major source ofantisemitic incidents today is anti-Zionism and hatred directed against theState of Israel and its supporters fused with traditional Jew-hatred, werecommend that the anti-Zionist character of the new antisemitism be madeclear. In light of this, we call onparliamentarians and governments to commit to combating the delegitimization anddemonization of the Jews and of the State of Israel in all national andinternational fora. To further thisgoal, we recommend adopting the working definition of antisemitism of the E.U. Agencyfor Fundamental Rights which states:
"Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews,which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physicalmanifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewishindividuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions andreligious facilities. Inaddition, such manifestations could also target the state of Israel,conceived as a Jewish collectivity".
- We are extremely concerned by the inversion andoverturning of the culture of social justice in human rights organizations, NGOsand international institutions in furtherance of the delegitimization anddemonization of Israeland its Jewish supporters. We notice againthat the UN is trying to organize a third edition of its notorious antisemitic Durban hate-fest on September 21, 2011, in New York to celebratethe 10 year anniversary of DurbanI. We call to all parliamentarianspresent to urge their governments to evaluate and not attend a conference thatwill undoubtedly once more serve as an endorsement of singling out the world’sonly Jewish state for criticism and demonization.
- Political Islam, in both the Wahhabi andShia-Iranian-sponsored forms, serves as the major source of antisemitism todayand as the greatest threat to the global Jewish community. In light of this reality, and the genocidaland eliminationist form of antisemitism espoused by Islamic extremists, we callof governments and parliaments to make it state policy to ensure that the Iranian regime and otherIslamic extremists are denied a public platform, whether at the UN orelsewhere, to espouse their Nazi-like orientation toward Jews and Israel. We also call on Iranian-sponsored Holocaustdenial to be confronted and combated everywhere it is promoted.
- At the same time, we call on a dialogue to beestablished with those Islamic groups that embrace liberal and democraticvalues focusing on antisemitism, mutual acceptance and the isolation ofextremists.
- As we are extremely concerned by the assault onthe freedom of speech of Jewish students and supporters of Israel oncampuses who face constant harassment, we call on parliaments andgovernments to use all means at their disposal to actively assist in protectingtheir safety and ensuring their freedom of speech is protected.
- We call on parliaments and governments worldwide to fund and support the creation of new institutions of learning in universities and elsewhere dedicated to the study of antisemitism and on how this phenomenon can be combated.
- We call on parliaments and governments worldwide to create monitoring mechanisms to scrutinize all organizations and NGOs that are in receipt of public funding on whether or not they promote antisemitism, in word or in deed. We also recommend that any organization found to promote antisemitism be banned from receiving any future public funding or support and be prosecuted where applicable.
There is another very good reason for the doctor not doing the operation and I"m most serious here. If the patient had died or been injured, the doctor could have been blamed for deliberately not doing a good job. This would be a realistic concern and this alone would justify his not doing the surgery if there was a replacement available
Berthe Kaytesi , Canada
Thanks a lot for sharing. It was nice to meet you and hopefully we will meet again. All the best,Berthe « Nous découvrons tous tôt ou tard dans la vie que le bonheur parfait n'existe pas, mais bien peu sont ceux qui s'arrêtent à cette considération inverse qu'il n' y a pas non plus de malheur absolu. » ( Primo Levi, Si c'était un homme, 1987, p.15)
Roberto Agostinelli , USA
Brava Fiamma ! Forza R
Ing. Luigi Mancini , Roma
Non tutti gli ebrei sono uguali e non sono uguali le cose che fanno. E' il solito annoso problema biblico dei figli dell'uomo e dei Figli di Dio che Gesu' ha cercato di risolvere nel modo, in fin dei conti, migliore. Inevitabilmente le scelte son determinate anche dalla Volonta' di Dio - ed il Dio di Gesu' e quello degli ebrei e' identico, non dimentichiamolo mai - ed e' bene che ogni famiglia religiosa si chiarisca profondamente al suo interno prima di agire comunemente all'esterno. Iniziative come queste son certamente buone per chiarire le idee a tutti, dentro e fuori.
stefano , usa
A propositi di Canada.Informo i forummisti dei continui episodi di antisemitismo in Canada, con aggrressioni a studenti Ebrei e ultimo la dissecrazione della sinagoga di Montreal.Continuiamo a stanare e disarticolare i nuovi anitsemiti che si nascondono sotto le bandiere dell` antirazzismo e dell` anticolonialismo per deligittimare gli Ebrei e Israele. I filopalestinesi hanno sostituito gli antisemiti classici degli anni 30. Lo scopo e` lo stesso: " la soluzione finale".L unica difesa e` il controattacco !Antidefamation league!!!
Ilaria Arri , Rivoli (To), Italy
complimenti vivissimi per l'iniziativa!!Auguri per il futuro, Un bacione, e un forte abbraccio, Ilaria.