A mural dedicated to Paola Egonu, the athlete symbol of a team capable of extraordinary feats, such as the Olympic gold. And yet the work, signed by the street artist Laika and created on the wall in front of the headquarters of the Federations in Rome, lasted less than 24 hours. Created to relaunch the fight against racism, hatred and xenophobia, it was vandalized with pink paint, which covered the darker one with which the skin of the Italian champion had been painted.

The case has sparked bipartisan condemnation, from Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani to the secretary of the Democratic Party, Elly Schlein. The Minister of Sport, Andrea Abodi, renewed the embrace given to the volleyball player in Paris with one that "today is even more important", as he himself wrote on social media. The artist who created the work, meanwhile, is preparing his personal "revenge" and is ready to paint the entire wall. "Racism - he writes on social media - is an ugly cancer from which Italy must heal". A feeling of intolerance expressed by the pink paint that smeared the body of the Italian champion.

In the meantime, the vandalism has reignited a debate that has long been off the political radar: the need to change the current citizenship law. Democratic Party secretary Elly Schlein has launched a clear appeal. "For us," she writes, "anyone born or raised in Italy is Italian and we will continue to fight to change the law." The implicit reference is to the Ius Soli, a citizenship model supported by the Democratic Party that divides the political spectrum. The law in force dates back to 1992. It provides that "a foreigner born in Italy" can become an Italian citizen "provided that he or she has resided there legally and continuously until reaching the age of majority." The request for citizenship, therefore, can arrive within twelve months of turning eighteen. A system that the opposition sees as "out of date." The Democratic Party is pushing for the Ius Soli model, according to which citizenship can be acquired by being born on Italian soil.

Position also supported by Alleanza Verdi e Sinistra, Azione and +Europa. Initiative that for now finds the explicit support of the Pd deputy Laura Boldrini. «In the face of the ideological refusal of the right, - she explains - the referendum can be a spur for the majority». In Parliament there are several proposals from the opposition that aim to review the law on citizenship. But their path does not seem easy.

(Unioneonline/vf)

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