Tens of thousands filled the streets of Italy's capital in dueling demonstrations over immigration policy, as a far-right petition demanding tough actions against migrants is poised for parliamentary discussion.
A protest against immigration in Rome's Prati district on Saturday drew several thousand participants, while a pro-immigration event elsewhere in the city attracted tens of thousands. Police deployed thousands of officers to prevent clashes between the opposing groups.
The rallies follow a petition backing hard-line measures targeting foreigners—including forced repatriation to their countries of origin—which gathered the 50,000 signatures needed to trigger parliamentary debate. The petition, titled "Remigration and Reconquest," has brought the concept of "remigration," once a fringe idea, into the political mainstream. In far-right circles, the term can imply the mass expulsion of ethnic minority groups.
“We want to throw illegal immigrants out—force them to leave, because they shouldn't be here,” said Luca Marsella, spokesman for the neo-fascist group Casapound, at Saturday’s anti-immigration rally. “And since we’re not politically correct, we’ll say we also want to send legal immigrants home—those who clearly haven't assimilated or integrated.”
During the anti-immigration march, many participants raised their arms in fascist salutes and chanted “Duce! Duce!” referring to Italy's dictator Benito Mussolini, according to the Associated Press.
‘Incompatible with Italy’s Constitution’
The immigration debate poses a delicate balancing act for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing coalition. While her coalition partner, the anti-immigration League party, backs opening discussions on the petition, Meloni's Brothers of Italy party and centrist allies are more cautious about endorsing a measure linked to extremists.
Critics, including opposition parties and legal experts, argue the petition violates constitutional and international anti-discrimination principles by targeting people based on ethnicity, including naturalized citizens and their descendants. “The so-called remigration bill invokes a logic of exclusion based on ethnicity and culture that is incompatible with Italy’s constitution and the fundamental principles of a state of law,” left-wing politician Angelo Bonelli told La Repubblica.
The controversy unfolds even as Meloni’s government pursues a parallel policy of expanding legal immigration, having approved a multiyear plan to admit hundreds of thousands of non-EU workers to fill labor shortages in key economic sectors.
