Italy’s G2 movement to demonstrate for citizenship review

Second-generation migrants in Italy (G2) will today hold a demonstration to protest Italy’s strict citizenship laws.

Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement in the US, the G2 movement has reignited the debate over what it means to be an “Italian”. Under Italy’s stringent citizenship laws, the progeny of migrants face significant hurdles before qualifying for Italian nationality. Despite sharing the nation’s linguistic and cultural affiliations, offspring born and raised in Italy must wait until the age of 18 before gaining the right to apply for citizenship.

Despite support from left-wing political factions, it is unlikely that requirements for Italian nationality are altered in the near future. Italy has been at the forefront of the European migrant crisis, and public debate has blurred the lines between legal and illegal immigration, leading to an “us” versus “them” orientation based on ethnicity. With far right parties expected to make gains in upcoming regional elections, immigrants will likely be further ostracised. Likewise, it is unlikely that the centrist coalition government would expend substantial political capital for a change in citizenship laws when concerns over immigration are the main driver of the far right’s rise.

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