Supporters of far-right Italian party rally in Rome

More than 2,000 supporters of a far-right political party in Italy have rallied on the streets of the country’s capital of Rome against refugees and asylum seekers.

The sympathizers of the Forza Nuova (New Force) Party marched in central Rome on Saturday, waving Italian flags and carrying banners that read “Italy for Italians,” and “Everything for the fatherland.”

The demonstrators were rallying against a proposed law that would grant citizenship to the children of refugees and asylum seekers.

Under the draft law called “Ius soli” (“Right of the soil”), children born in Italy or children who arrived in the European country and went to school for five years before the age of 12, could be declared citizens.

For three years, Italy was faced with an influx of refugees, mainly from Africa. However, the number of new arrivals has fallen sharply since July, when Rome struck a deal with Libya to block a busy Mediterranean route.

Some 72,000 refugees arrived in Italy from Libya between January and June this year alone. More than 2,000 also died en route, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Europe has been experiencing an unprecedented influx of refugees over the past years. The asylum seekers have been fleeing conflict-ridden zones in North Africa and the Middle East, particularly Syria.

Many blame major European powers for the exodus, saying their policies have led to a surge in terrorism and war in the violence-hit regions, forcing more people from their homes.

SS