Businessman Marcelo de Carvalho, owner of RedeTV, published a video on his profile this Friday (25) on Instagram proposing a joint legal action in Italy against diplomat Stefano Soliman, minister plenipotentiary of the Farnesina, the “Italian Foreign Ministry”.
Soliman is the author of the technical report which classified Decree-Law 36, known as the Tajani Decree, as urgent. The measure, championed by the government of Giorgia Meloni, restricts the recognition of Italian citizenship by descent.
In the video, Carvalho accuses the diplomat of defamation and abuse of power. “My friends, the consequences of an arrogant person occupying some kind of power are always bad,” he declared.
“We are not a threat to anyone’s safety”
According to the businessman, Soliman’s opinion states “textually” that recognized citizens and descendants of Italians represent “a threat to public security in Italy and Europe.” Outraged, he states:
“We are not criminals, we are not bandits. We are not a threat to anyone’s safety.”
Carvalho advocates a judicial offensive based on several provisions of Italian law, including articles 595 and 596 of the Penal Code, which deal with slander and defamation.
He also mentions Legislative Decrees 215 and 216 of 2003, which deal with racial and ethnic discrimination, and Article 323 of the Penal Code, which refers to abuse of office.
“If the offense is racial, discriminatory, as it is, let's go to UNAR”, he said, referring to the Italian anti-discrimination body.
Joint action with support from entities
During the video, Carvalho proposes the union of Italian-descendant entities to support the legal action. According to him, several state and national associations have already expressed support.
“We have to do this together. If necessary, former congressman Lorenzato and I will cover the costs of this action.”
He ends the video with an appeal: “I would like everyone’s support as we move forward.”
The Tajani Decree, formalized by Soliman's opinion, was published without going through parliamentary debate or by the General Council of Italians Abroad (CGIE).
The text justifies the restriction on citizenship due to the growth in the number of citizens outside Italy and its alleged impact on national security.
