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Madrid, Sant'Egidio: Dureghello reports 382 thousand expressions of antisemitism on the web in one year. Politicians, don't use racism.

September 16 2019 - MADRID, SPAIN

Archbishop Matteo Zuppi of Bologne: "The occurences of intolerance are not jokes, but hidden mines on which someone will tread"

"On the web, there are 382 thousand expressions of antisemitism in one year." At the meeting 'Peace with No Borders' in Madrid Ruth Dureghello, President of the Jewish Community in Rome, reveals the figures registered during a survey in 2016 and reports an insurgence of racism: "We witness horrible scenes - she said - of offending hymns in the stadiums." Unfortunately that is "a climate that serves politics". Is there a way to counter racism? Archbishop Matteo Zuppi of Bologne, nominated cardinal by pope Francis, stressed: "Racism is like a mine. When you place it, someone is likely to tread on it." Some phrases, are they "jokes or racism?" According to Zuppi, "we need to call things by their name. Many occurences can be defined as explicit racism."

According to the archbishop of Bologne "we tend to get used to intolerance, like we get used to a bad smell when you stay in a room." And therefore "antiracism is not facultative, it is not something of dreamers. It needs to be the commitment of every person not to be like this. Religious persons cannot be racists. Religions hold strong convictions that we are all children of God, even if we are extraordinarily different."