The former Italian-Brazilian congressman Luis Roberto Lorenzato On Wednesday, the 29th, he demanded the right of reply to the article published by the newspaper. Corriere della Sera under the title "Veneto, the invasion of descendants from Brazil, signed by journalist Claudio Del Frate.
The letter, sent directly to the newspaper's director, Luciano Fontana, denounces the xenophobic and discriminatory tone of the report, which portrays descendants of Italians in Brazil as a threat to Italy and to the functioning of the justice system.
Lorenzato, who presides over the entity Italian Nation and People in Exile – Italian CommonwealthHe stated that the text "offends the image of the Italian-Brazilian community and distorts the meaning of recognizing Italian citizenship by origin."
"This is not an invasion, but a right."
In his official rebuttal, the congressman vehemently rejects the word "invasion" used in the title.
According to him, Italian descendants are not asking for a new citizenship, but only the recognition of a birthright, provided for in Italian law by the principle of right of blood (jus sanguinis).
“We are born Italian. Citizenship is transmitted by blood, not by geography. It is incorrect and unfair to treat citizens of Italian origin as foreign invaders,” Lorenzato stated.
"Citizenship is not for sale"
The congressman also refuted the insinuation that there was a "shady business" surrounding citizenship applications. He emphasized that the few cases of fraud were reported by the Italian-Brazilians themselves and that the vast majority of applicants follow legal procedures.
"It is offensive to generalize about millions of honest descendants because of a few unscrupulous intermediaries," he declared.
"In the aforementioned cases, all Italian-Brazilians were acquitted; those convicted were local officials and agents."
Lack of infrastructure, not an excess of Brazilians.
In refuting the accusation that the courts in Veneto were "saturated," Lorenzato pointed to the structural deficit of the Italian justice system as the main cause. According to him, the Italian state failed to prepare for a predictable demand.
“For decades, the government encouraged the recognition of citizenship as a way to connect with the diaspora. Now it is trying to blame the descendants instead of modernizing the system,” he said.
The congressman cited the example of Argentina, which regularized the status of over one million Italian-Argentinians without controversy. "Why this selective prejudice against Italian-Brazilians, most of whom are descendants of those from Veneto?" he questioned.
"Citizenship does not depend on address"
Lorenzato also challenged the idea that "no one moves to live in Italy." According to him, Italian citizenship is not conditional on residency and should be recognized regardless of where a person lives.
"Millions of Italians live abroad and remain Italian. Italian-Brazilians contribute culturally and economically to the country, and should be seen as a human asset, not as an administrative problem," he stated.
"Prejudice does not modernize the justice system."
The former parliamentarian described as "unfounded" the attempt to link the right to citizenship to the slowness of the process. National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR)For him, the argument is a shift in focus which masks the structural flaws of the State.
"If the justice system is slow, the fault lies with the bureaucracy, not with citizens exercising their rights. Italy needs to modernize the system, not limit fundamental rights," he stated.
"We are not guests, we are children of Italy."
In a firm tone, Lorenzato concluded his response by stating that Italian-Brazilians are not opportunists, but legitimate heirs to a shared history.
He recalled that, for more than 150 years, the Italian-Brazilian community has been a vital link between the two countries, responsible for keeping the culture alive and strengthening bilateral relations.
“To reduce our history to a ‘shady affair’ is to ignore centuries of contribution. We, of Italian descent, are not guests: we are children and part of Italy,” the parliamentarian concluded.
