by Sarah Kimball Stephenson

Italy’s lower house of parliament passed a bill Wednesday that extends anti-discrimination protection to women, disabled people and members of the LGBTQ+ community, making violence against these groups a hate crime. Existing hate crime legislation only protects people from racial, religious and ethnic discrimination.

Under this law, people convicted of hate crimes against these newly protected groups could face up to four years in prison. The bill also proposes an awareness campaign in schools and provides increased funding for anti-discrimination organizations.

Far-right and religious groups oppose the bill, claiming that it would limit freedom of expression. They argue that the law already does enough to protect people from “violent or intolerant behavior.”