(AGI) Rome, Feb 11 - Italy's Senate approved theanti-negationism bill on Wednesday, with 234 votes in favour.The bill will now go before the Chamber of Deputies. RiccardoPacifici, president of Rome's Jewish community, said it was agreat day for democracy and for the fight againstanti-Semitism. It had taken months of hard work and much debatein both the Justice Committee and in parliament, but in the endthe first major step had been taken. He added that the Jewishcommunity "had been moved because their thoughts went to allthose who had survived and given their lives and continue togive their lives to tell future generations about the horrorsof the Nazi death machine and the inferno of the concentrationcamps." He was grateful to those who had fought for this law,he said, listing the senators who had given their support andsending special thanks to Senate leader Piero Grasso, who hadfought this battle ever since his election, as had formerPresident of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano. Now it was up tothe Chamber of Deputies to give definitive approval. The Jewishcommunity realised leader Laura Boldrini's sensitivity andhoped that Italy would pass legislation soon that would "punishthe assassins of Memory". Rapporteur Rosaria Capacchioneexplained that the bill "alters Article 3 of the Reale Law andattributes penal relevance to instigatory public behaviour,introducing more severe punishments in cases in whichpropaganda, public instigation and public incitement to commitacts of racial discrimination were founded partly or completelyin negationism of the Shoah, or crimes of genocide, crimesagainst humanity and war crimes, as defined in the Statute ofthe International Criminal Court". The PD leader on the JusticeCommittee, Senator Giuseppe Lumia, said the country had turneda page and the crime of negationism was a turnaround. Negatingthe Shoah and the genocides would be punished as they were inmany other countries. (AGI) . .