The majority of Italians want to see migrant arrivals stopped completely, and believe the ‘ius soli’ law being pushed by Italy’s globalist government is “ethnic replacement”, enacted to boost the proportion of left wing voters in the nation.

The ruling Democratic Party (PD) say that passing the long-awaited ius soli (meaning ‘law of the soil’ in Latin) bill, which would make it much easier for second generation immigrants to gain citizenship, would send an important message that “migrants are an integrated part of society”.

But the law, which experts say would grant citizenship to around 800,000 people overnight and a further 60,000 each year, has the support of only a third of Italians, most of whom are strongly opposed to policies of mass migration.

Political Thermometer last week reported the results of a survey which found that 64 per cent of 2,900 respondents said they disapprove of the bill, which is currently being debated by politicians in Italy, with 33 per cent saying they are in favour.

According to the poll, 58 per cent of Italians believe ius soli is being pushed so as to increase PD’s share of the votes, while 37 per cent said they think politicians in support of the law have other motivations for doing so.

A majority of respondents (51 per cent) said they consider the bill to be part of an ongoing attempt to “ethnically replace” the Italian people, while 42 per cent disagreed, and seven per cent said they do not know.

The survey found strong opposition to mass migration, with more than 70 per cent of people polled disagreeing with the statement: “[Italy] must welcome the Africans who are arriving in boats.”

Thirty-eight per cent said the country has to put a stop to the boats and prevent them from arriving, asserting that Africans should only be helped in their homelands, while 35 per cent said it is right that Italy rescue migrants in danger of drowning at sea but that the nation should immediately expel everyone who is not entitled to asylum.

A poll for Rome newspaper Il Messaggero on Saturday revealed similar results, finding a majority of Italians of all political stripes saying they want to see migrant arrivals stopped, a sentiment which was highest among supporters of the populist Lega Nord party (96 per cent).

Though the least keen to put a stop to migrant boats, a majority of PD supporters (52 per cent) want to block their arrival — a figure which rises to 62 per cent among undecided voters, 70 per cent among supporters of the left wing populist Five Star Movement, and 79 per cent among voters of the centre-right Forza Italia party.

The survey showed rising fatigue in Italy over the new arrivals, with the figure who said the nation has a duty to welcome, house, and feed Africans arriving in boats down 10 per cent from a year before, having fallen to 33 per cent.