The town council of Cosenza in southern Italy has unanimously approved a motion to offer honorary citizenship to the sons and daughters of migrants, born in Italy or who have completed one full scholastic cycle in the country, according to the principle of Ius Soli.
With the unanimous vote in favor of all councilors present in the room (20, including the town's mayor, Franz Caruso), the Municipal Council of Cosenza, Calabria, approved a motion on the Ius Soli, which was supported by the majority.
This motion confers honorary Italian citizenship to the children of migrants if they were born on Italian soil, according to the Ius Soli principle.
When it came time to cast the vote, the councilors of the Brothers of Italy party -- the right wing party led at national level by Giorgia Meloni -- reportedly left the room.
Chiara Penna, first representative to sign the motion, said that the debate had "brought the issue of citizenship and equality to the center of the discussion. We were expecting some political parties to be against it but we were not expecting the hornets' nest this stirred up."
A city symbol of solidarity, says mayor
"Our city is a city that founds its history on the principle of solidarity and of hospitality," stated Cosenza Mayor Caruso.
"Our city, our country, cannot harbor discrimination or inequality. We wish that those who want to become Italian citizens, because they feel Italian, although they were not born here or from Italian parents, may have the right to obtain it upon their request. We want to stand for principles of peace, liberty and the autonomy of peoples."