Social media users slam Rome over change in Italian citizenship law

ROME: Social media users have criticised Giorgia Meloni after the Italian government introduced changes to the Italian citizenship law that could deny nationality to some individuals who migrated abroad in recent years, even if they still hold Italian identity documents.

Many politicians, activists, and public figures have also criticised the Italian government for tightening citizenship rules.

A lawmaker from the +Europa party, Riccardo Magi, strongly criticised the policy, calling it discriminatory. He said the move was “intolerable discrimination against young Italians who were born and raised in Italy but still face years of bureaucracy to obtain citizenship.”

The policy has also caused backlash in countries such as Brazil and Argentina, where millions of people have Italian ancestry. Critics say the new rules could prevent millions of descendants from claiming Italian nationality and weaken long-standing cultural ties.

Campaigners argue that the law is unfair because it restricts citizenship for people of Italian heritage living abroad. At the same time, many children of immigrants who are born and raised in Italy must still wait until the age of 18 to apply for citizenship.

On Thursday, the government of Italy passed a law in the national assembly to clarify who qualifies as an original Italian citizen. According to the government, Italians who have lived abroad for a long period may need to reassess their citizenship status under the amended law.

The law states that children of Italians who grew up abroad may no longer automatically be entitled to Italian nationality. The rule applies to children born abroad to Italian parents, regardless of whether the other parent is Italian or foreign.

However, many citizens and social media users have criticised the move, saying it deprives people of what they consider a fundamental right.