Case of separated mother and children sparks constitutional friction in Italy ahead of national referendum.
Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday waded into a controversy surrounding a court ruling that separated the “forest family” who lived off-grid in the Abruzzo region.
The L’Aquila juvenile court ordered the immediate removal of the mother from a protected facility and the subsequent separation of her three children into different foster care arrangements.
The decision was ostensibly based on concerns regarding the mother’s alleged non-compliance with social services and the perceived necessity of integrating the minors into conventional educational and social environments.
Meloni reacts
The ruling prompted a sharp rebuke from Meloni, who condemned the judicial action in a lengthy Facebook post.
Characterising the court’s decision as an unacceptable overreach, the prime minister accused the judges of “exceeding the limit” of their authority by breaking the fundamental bond between a mother and her children.
Meloni said she was “speechless” over a decision that, she said, “inflicts further, extremely severe trauma on the children,” and spoke of an “absurd sequence of decisions with a clearly ideological tone.”
The prime minister challenged the rationale behind the measure, reiterating that “children do not belong to the state” but to their mothers and fathers.
Forest family
Nathan Trevallion, a 51-year-old former chef from the UK, and Catherine Birmingham, a 45-year-old former horse riding instructor from Australia, had been living in a remote wooded area in Abruzzo with their three children: an eight-year-old girl and six-year-old twins.
Their case came to light in late 2024 after all five family members were hospitalised after being poisoned by mushrooms.
The children were taken into care last November, following the intervention of social services and a ruling by the juvenile court in L’Aquila.
Until Friday they were housed in a protected facility, monitored by authorities, with Birmingham granted limited access to her children.
Judicial referendum
Friday’s court ruling arrives at a sensitive political juncture, as Italy prepares for a landmark judicial referendum on 22-23 March.
The referendum centres on constitutional reform of the justice system, including the separation of careers for judges and prosecutors, meaning they would no longer be able to switch between the two roles and must choose from the outset which career to follow.
The government claims the flagship reform is necessary to bolster the impartiality of judges by separating their career path from that of prosecutors, arguing that this will prevent conflicts of interest and reduce the risk of alleged political factions within the judiciary.
Meloni has long been at odds with Italy’s judiciary, regularly accusing magistrates of stymying plans by her government, from immigration to public works.
Opposition
The National Association of Magistrates (ANM) and centre-left opposition parties are fiercely opposed to the reform, claiming it will weaken the judiciary and accusing the government of seeking control over who investigates crimes.
The forest family case has been seized upon by supporters of the legal reform as a prime example of “judicial activism” and the need for greater accountability within the magistracy.
Meloni’s remarks on Friday attracted strong criticism from within the centre-left opposition, amid claims that her rhetoric risks undermining the independence of the judiciary for political gain.
“The prime minister is now shameless, spreading propaganda about the family in the woods, forcefully entering this matter with a very serious interference that smacks of intimidation, in defiance of the separation of powers,” said Riccardo Magi, secretary of Più Europa.
