There is need of reforming the citizenship law to make it easier for second generation children to become Italians, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Gianfranco Fini has said.
Explaining what it means to be an Italian today, Mr. Fini said: “New Italians are all who consider Italy their second home, even if it’s not the home of their parents. In Italy there are millions of people who don’t have Italian citizenship but feel that Italy is their home. When the national team is playing, they support it, when they see the Italian flag, they salute it. There are boys and girls who at this moment are committed in our armed forces. They are already new citizens; they love the country, which is not their parents’ home country. They are children of those who came to Italy to work or who came here while very young with their families.”
Mr. Fini said Italians should be prepared to fight xenophobia because they were also emigrants. He said Nancy Pelosi, the former Speaker of the US Congress and the former President of Uruguay Julio María Sanguinetti, are examples of successful children of Italians who went abroad to look for greener pastures. He said the country should have effective policies to facilitate the integration of immigrants.
Mr. Fini said he was doubtful of coming up with a law granting automatic citizenship to children of immigrants born in Italy. He said that many countries with a similar law are facing serious problems.
He described as “absurd” the fact that children born in the country have to wait to turn 18 before becoming Italian citizens. These children study in the country, support the same football teams as their Italian colleagues, dress like them, yet they are at times told: “you are different, you are not an Italian, you are not like me,” Mr. Fini said.
“After completing a cycle of education, those children who live stably in Italy because they have families here, have a right to become Italians, without waiting to turn 18,” Mr. Fini suggested.
He made it clear that there is no room for irregular immigrants in the country. Those who enter Italy illegally must be sent away, he said, adding that Italy can’t host all who would like to come to here.
He pointed out that there is a clear difference between those who enter Italy illegally and those who enter legally and have the Permit of Stay and work contracts.
Mr. Fini, who together with the leader of Lega Nord Umberto Bossi designed the Bossi-Fini Immigration Law, emphasized that only those with work contracts can have the Permit of Stay.
Mr. Fini’s new party, Future and Liberty for Italy recently joined forces with the opposition in Parliament to approve a motion obliging the Government to review the agreement on migration cooperation with Libya and call for re-opening of the UN refugee agency’s office in Libya. Last June the Government of Libya ordered UNHCR to close its office in the country and halt activities.
Mr. Fini said that following the vote, some Government officials claimed that they (those who voted for the motion) would like to allow boats of irregular immigrants to come to Italy.
Mr. Fini condemned approaching immigration in such a propagandistic manner.
In 2003, Mr. Fini proposed granting immigrants the right to vote in local elections. When asked whether he still supported such an idea, he said: “I’ve not changed my mind.” He explained that his proposal was meant to grant immigrants the right to vote for the mayor, for the president of the province, and for the local councillor.
Mr. Fini said EU citizens living in Italy already have the right to vote in local elections. They are not Italian citizens, but they vote for the mayor. Why deny this right to those women and men who are not yet Italian citizens but live stably in Italy? he asked.
Mr. Fini said that for one to be given the right to vote, the person must have been living in the area for a given period, have a job and be willing to participate by either voting or being voted for. “It would be nice to elect representatives of different communities to the City Councils,” he said. Source:African News( Click Title to Read More)
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