Fear of “social catastrophe”
Meloni cuts Italian citizen money for hundreds of thousands
08/01/2023, 05:38 p.m
For four years, the basic income has protected many unemployed people in Italy from poverty. In the future, this will only be possible under certain conditions. Many households are left empty-handed as a result. They were informed via SMS. Those affected are now up in arms and there is sharp criticism from the opposition.
Hundreds of thousands of Italians will be cut from welfare. The Italian government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni decided on stricter requirements for receiving the so-called citizen money, which will take effect from August 1st. According to media reports, around 169,000 households will be affected by the drastic cut in social assistance. The recipients were informed of this by SMS last Friday.
From now on, only households in which minors, people with disabilities or seniors older than 65 years live will receive the citizen’s allowance. According to observers, citizen income could be suspended for a further 80,000 households in late summer. The south of the country is particularly affected by the new measures. Naples is the city with the most recipients of citizen income. Unions and activist groups have called for protests against the cuts. In some cities in the south, people protested in front of the offices of the social security agency INPS.
Ideological war on the backs of the weakest
On Monday in Sicily, an unemployed man stormed into the mayor’s office in the municipality of Terrasini, spilled petrol and threatened to set everything on fire, according to media reports. He could be stopped. Opposition politicians sharply criticized the government’s move. Ex-Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who introduced citizen income in 2019, described the step as an “ideological war” that would be fought on the backs of the weakest. Critics fear a “social catastrophe”. The fact that the cut was communicated via text message caused outrage.
Meloni’s right-wing government was a thorn in the side of citizens’ income. She wants to massively reduce the number of beneficiaries and the expenditure on support. Right-wing parties have repeatedly claimed that citizen income has not provided an incentive for those who could work to actually work.