On 27th February, British Ambassador to Italy Jill Morris
organised an event at her residence, Villa Wolkonsky, to
discuss intolerance and antisemitism. During the meeting,
the President of Jewish Community in Rome, Ruth Dureghello,
and the Italian National coordinator for the Fight against
Antisemitism, Milena Santerini, took the floor. Although
she could not attend the event in person, life Senator and
Shoah survivor Liliana Segre contributed to the discussion
through a message read by her spokesperson, Maria Paola
Gargiulo. All panellists were women, a powerful message
against discrimination and intolerance.
The event aimed to increase awareness around discrimination
in general and antisemitism in particular, as recent
episodes of intolerance have been targeting the Jewish
community and anyone who dares speak up against
discrimination. A clear message of integration and
tolerance was sent, in sharp contrast with the instances of
antisemitism that have occurred in the past few months.
Furthermore, the meeting explored the sociological and
cultural factors that generate discrimination to better
understand this phenomenon and develop effective tools to
counter antisemitism.
In her opening remarks, Ambassador Jill Morris said:
The British government and the Embassy in Rome remain at
the frontline in the fight against all forms of
discrimination based on ethnicity, the colour of one’s
skin, religion or sexual orientation.
