New Jure Soli Citizenship Law in Italy

[mler]

True. It doesn't matter what your personsal beliefs are. Constitutional law should not be determined by individual mandate; that's why we have democracies.

Despite the mayor's actions, however, I doubt very much the "citizenship" he conferred will have any standing outside his own municipality.

[PippoM]

I searched about this kind of citizenship.
It is mentioned, in Italian, as "cittadinanza civica", and has been issued by several Italian Communes.
This is what I found on thi site of Turin:

"L'attestato non ha valore per l'attuale legislazione italiana, ma è un atto simbolico per sollecitare leggi affinché chi nasce in Italia sia a tutti gli effetti un cittadino italiano."
"The certificate has no legal value, but is a symbolic act to press for laws that may make all people born in Italy, actual Italian citizens"

[mler]

That makes sense.

[jennabet]

Thanks Pippo for the good information. So I was correct in that it was a challenge to the existing laws or as you say "symbolic". I concluded as such because we have seen similar challenges, for example to gay marriage in Italy and of course, those challenges weren't legal either. I guess you can't fault them for trying but in the end the Italian people will decide.

[mler]

I guess you can't fault them for trying but in the end the Italian people will decide.

That's a very generous position to take, and you're right; the Italian people will decide.

I believe that every citizen has the right to work to change the law. It's what we do in a democracy. I don't believe, however, that an elected official is ethically entitled to impose his views in this manner even if his gesture is only symbolic. He is, in essence, using his public position to promote a personal belief that is not supported by current law and may or may not be supported by his constituents. But then, of course, many politicians are not hampered by ethical considerations.