Italian mayor who used the Brazilian flag to protest against 'overload of citizenship requests is accused of outrage
Italian mayor who used the Brazilian flag to protest against 'overload of citizenship requests is accused of outrage .      Complaint was filed by the Italian-Brazilian lawyer Luiz Scarpelli; the symbol remained on the façade of the Val di Zoldo town hall building for months The mayor of the Italian city of Val di Zoldo, Camillo De Pellegrin, has been accused of disrespect for flying a Brazilian flag on the facade of the city hall. This was part of a protest against what some local authorities describe as an "overload" of citizenship applications submitted by Brazilians in the Veneto region of Italy.
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The mayor of the Italian city of Val di Zoldo, Camillo De Pellegrin, has been accused of disrespect for flying a Brazilian flag on the facade of the city hall. This was part of a protest against what some local authorities describe as an "overload" of citizenship applications submitted by Brazilians in the Veneto region of Italy.

The complaint was filed by Italo-Brazilian lawyer Luiz Scarpelli. Although the flag was removed from the building just over a month ago, having been there since the start of the year, Scarpelli maintained his complaint, which he claims was submitted to the Presidency of Brazil, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Chamber of Deputies, and the Senate.

— I requested intervention for an act that is morally unacceptable. It disrespected Brazilians. For us, Brazilians, and also Italians, our symbols are sacred: if any Brazilian did this with the Italian flag, I would report it the same way — the lawyer told Il Gazzettino.

According to the Italian newspaper, the mayor decided to use the flag to express his protest after encountering hundreds of citizenship applications from Brazilian descendants who recently became Italian citizens, which he believes are "clogging" the civil registry office.

A staunch opponent of what he sees as an abuse of ius sanguinis—"right of blood" in Latin—Pellegrin claims he has not received any notifications. No complaint has been filed with the Italian Public Prosecutor's Office yet, but Luiz Scarpelli states he is willing to take the matter to the European Court of Human Rights.

— I am one of the few who have reported the frauds behind these processes, or even the agencies that promote 'Black Friday' deals offering 'discounts' on citizenship. These are criminals and delinquents. In this regard, I agree with the mayor, and we can work together. But first, I ask him to respect the Brazilian people and symbols — Scarpelli adds.

The mayor, on the other hand, says he is also "ready" to file a complaint regarding the constant attacks he claims to suffer on social media from Brazilian citizens who "insult and threaten" him.

Municipalities report 'excessive' applications

Across municipalities in the Veneto region, numerous applications from descendants of Italians are filed daily. According to the Corriere del Veneto, in Tribano, near Padua, the registry office is overwhelmed. For instance, Valdastico processes 100 applications annually for every 1,300 residents. Treviso and Vicenza also report receiving dozens of applications each week. Other municipalities have been forced to hire additional staff or pay overtime to employees for weekend work.

Initially, the application is taken to the judiciary. Then, the court orders the applicant's ancestor's city of origin to recognize citizenship. Birth and marriage records are issued thereafter.

In english: Read more stories on O GLOBO's website

In general, each city hall has about a month to complete the searches and issue the documentation. However, the process is labor-intensive for the staff, according to Northern League official Matteo Pressi.

According to local media, an example of a requested investigation stated: "Looking for a Tamellin (surname), who might be named Antonio, Mario, or Giovanni, and was born between 1838 and 1840."

The procedures, however, are not free, as pointed out by lawyer Isabel de Lima from Naples.

— I don't understand why municipalities complain so much, given that they charge between 100 and 500 euros for each document to issue birth and marriage certificates of ancestors, compared to the 50 euros paid by residents — she explains to Corriere del Veneto.

The City Council of Soave charges 2,000 euros, equivalent to over R$10,000, to start and complete the procedure, plus another 600 euros (R$3,800) for each marriage or birth certificate.

— Besides administrative fees, we have to request subsistence expenses. Some procedures are very complicated; one of our staff members only handled citizenship applications for three siblings for a month. We have to go back a hundred years, respond to requests often incomplete, unsigned, with incorrect names and countries, submitted without using the proper forms. Often those applying don't even know the exact name of their ancestor, giving us approximate coordinates based on memories — Matteo Pressi tells the newspaper.
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2024-12-08
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     Complaint was filed by the Italian-Brazilian lawyer Luiz Scarpelli; the symbol remained on the façade of the Val di Zoldo town hall building for months The mayor of the Italian city of Val di Zoldo, Camillo De Pellegrin, has been accused of disrespect for flying a Brazilian flag on the facade of the city hall. This was part of a protest against what some local authorities describe as an "overload" of citizenship applications submitted by Brazilians in the Veneto region of Italy.
Mercosur and the European Union: Understand the main points of the historic agreement
IBGE: Misery and poverty reach the lowest level in Brazil's history
The complaint was filed by Italo-Brazilian lawyer Luiz Scarpelli. Although the flag was removed from the building just over a month ago, having been there since the start of the year, Scarpelli maintained his complaint, which he claims was submitted to the Presidency of Brazil, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Chamber of Deputies, and the Senate.
— I requested intervention for an act that is morally unacceptable. It disrespected Brazilians. For us, Brazilians, and also Italians, our symbols are sacred: if any Brazilian did this with the Italian flag, I would report it the same way — the lawyer told Il Gazzettino.
According to the Italian newspaper, the mayor decided to use the flag to express his protest after encountering hundreds of citizenship applications from Brazilian descendants who recently became Italian citizens, which he believes are "clogging" the civil registry office.
A staunch opponent of what he sees as an abuse of ius sanguinis—"right of blood" in Latin—Pellegrin claims he has not received any notifications. No complaint has been filed with the Italian Public Prosecutor's Office yet, but Luiz Scarpelli states he is willing to take the matter to the European Court of Human Rights.
— I am one of the few who have reported the frauds behind these processes, or even the agencies that promote 'Black Friday' deals offering 'discounts' on citizenship. These are criminals and delinquents. In this regard, I agree with the mayor, and we can work together. But first, I ask him to respect the Brazilian people and symbols — Scarpelli adds.
The mayor, on the other hand, says he is also "ready" to file a complaint regarding the constant attacks he claims to suffer on social media from Brazilian citizens who "insult and threaten" him.
Municipalities report 'excessive' applications
Across municipalities in the Veneto region, numerous applications from descendants of Italians are filed daily. According to the Corriere del Veneto, in Tribano, near Padua, the registry office is overwhelmed. For instance, Valdastico processes 100 applications annually for every 1,300 residents. Treviso and Vicenza also report receiving dozens of applications each week. Other municipalities have been forced to hire additional staff or pay overtime to employees for weekend work.
Initially, the application is taken to the judiciary. Then, the court orders the applicant's ancestor's city of origin to recognize citizenship. Birth and marriage records are issued thereafter.
In english: Read more stories on O GLOBO's website
In general, each city hall has about a month to complete the searches and issue the documentation. However, the process is labor-intensive for the staff, according to Northern League official Matteo Pressi.
According to local media, an example of a requested investigation stated: "Looking for a Tamellin (surname), who might be named Antonio, Mario, or Giovanni, and was born between 1838 and 1840."
The procedures, however, are not free, as pointed out by lawyer Isabel de Lima from Naples.
— I don't understand why municipalities complain so much, given that they charge between 100 and 500 euros for each document to issue birth and marriage certificates of ancestors, compared to the 50 euros paid by residents — she explains to Corriere del Veneto.
The City Council of Soave charges 2,000 euros, equivalent to over R$10,000, to start and complete the procedure, plus another 600 euros (R$3,800) for each marriage or birth certificate.
— Besides administrative fees, we have to request subsistence expenses. Some procedures are very complicated; one of our staff members only handled citizenship applications for three siblings for a month. We have to go back a hundred years, respond to requests often incomplete, unsigned, with incorrect names and countries, submitted without using the proper forms. Often those applying don't even know the exact name of their ancestor, giving us approximate coordinates based on memories —  Matteo Pressi tells the newspaper.
The translation of this text into english was carried out by Project Irineu, O GLOBO's initiative to develop artificial intelligence tools. Here is the link to the original report.
Italian mayor who used the Brazilian flag to protest against 'overload of citizenship requests is accused of outrage