Activists hail bill to make violence against LGBT people a hate crime in Italy

Activists in Italy have hailed a vote in the lower house of parliament to pass a bill that would make violence against LGBT people and disabled people, as well as misogyny, a hate crime.

The bill, which passed successfully despite months of protests from far-right and Catholic groups, now needs approval from the upper house, where it is backed by the ruling coalition parties, before becoming law.

“If we succeed in definitively approving this law, Italy will finally be a country that accepts LGBT rights, because right now we are among the last countries in Europe for the social acceptance of LGBT people,” said Alessandro Zan, the Democratic party politician who drafted the law. “Moreover, it also criminalises hate against disabled people and misogyny, so it’s a very advanced law.”

Zan expects the law, which would see people convicted of such crimes jailed for up to four years, to be enforced before next spring. The law would be an extension of an existing law that punishes racist violence, hatred and discrimination.

The passing of the bill in the lower house comes after a series of high-profile attacks against gay and transgender people. In September, Maria Paola Gaglione, 22, was killed after her brother rammed his vehicle into the motor scooter she was riding on with her transgender partner, Ciro Migliore, in Naples. The brother, who has been charged with manslaughter, told investigators he didn’t intend to kill his sister but instead wanted to “teach her a lesson” over the relationship.

In late June, a 25-year-old man was brutally attacked by a gang of seven people as he walked hand in hand with his boyfriend in the Adriatic city of Pescara.

‘We’re living in fear’: LGBT people in Italy pin hopes on new law

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Rights’ groups receive hundreds of hate crime reports each year but many go unpunished. Although Italy approved same-sex civil unions in 2016, the country has lagged behind its EU partners in creating anti-homophobia measures. Attempts by various governments over the past three decades to enact a similar law have either been stifled or sabotaged, with any progress or even just meaningful debate stymied by a macho culture, Catholicism and support for far-right parties.

Matteo Salvini’s far-right League and Brothers of Italy, led by Giorgia Meloni, protested against the law, arguing it would suppress freedom of expression. The Italian bishops’ conference also said the bill marked “the death of liberty”.

The law would permit an increase in funding for groups that work to fight against discrimination and assist people who are the victims of it. “It will also put into play awareness campaigns in schools,” said Zan.

Luisa Rizzitelli, an LGBT and women’s activist, said the law was also an important tool to help counter misogynistic attitudes towards women.

“There is so much hate simply because you are a woman,” she said. “This law is a very strong signal. Not only does it make misogyny a crime, but at a cultural level it means our country accepts that the problem exists, as often misogyny becomes violent – people will be more aware that this behaviour is not right and now there will be a way to punish the perpetrator.”