Crowds in Milan protest against curbs on rights of same-sex parents

Italy legalised same-sex civil unions in 2016, but opposition from the Catholic church meant it stopped short of granting gay couples the right to adopt.

Decisions have instead been made on a case-by-case basis by the courts, as parents take legal action, although some local authorities decided to act unilaterally.

But its centre-left mayor, Giuseppe Sala, revealed this week that this had stopped after the interior ministry sent a letter insisting that the courts must decide.

Elena Schlein, the newly elected leader of the centre-left Democratic party, was among opposition politicians who attended the protest Saturday, where many campaigners rallied against the new government.

The prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, whose far-right Brothers of Italy party came top in September elections, puts a strong emphasis on traditional family values.

Earlier this week, a Senate committee voted against an EU plan to oblige member states to recognise the rights of same-sex parents granted elsewhere in the bloc.