Referendum/ No campaign: The Greens and Sinn Féin have claimed that the Government has provided no evidence to prove that citizenship rights should be curtailed.
Both parties said at separate press briefings yesterday that the Government proposal would damage the Belfast Agreement, encourage racist tendencies and deflect attention from the Coalition's record.
But while Sinn Féin at the start of its No campaign expressed confidence that voters would reject the Government proposal, the Greens believed it was likely to be passed.
The Green justice spokesman, Mr Ciaran Cuffe, said he would not be surprised if the proposal were rejected, but he added: "I wouldn't have confidence that it will be defeated." Mr Cuffe also said constitutional or legislative change should be considered, "if we see a dramatic and sustained increase in the amount of foreign people coming to Ireland in order to seek Irish citizenship". However, he had not seen any evidence to suggest that this was so.
He said it was "deeply ironic" that Fianna Fáil was rushing to amend the Constitution introduced by de Valera. He said de Valera was an immigrant who made an "outstanding contribution to Ireland" and recalled that the Fianna Fáil founder avoided execution in 1916 only because of his US citizenship.
The Green MEP in Dublin, Ms Patricia McKenna, said the referendum should not take place until the European Court of Justice has made a final ruling in the Chen case. In a preliminary ruling this week, the court said a Chinese mother and her Irish-born daughter are entitled to live in any EU country on account of the child's Irish citizenship.
The Green deputy leader and candidate in the East constituency, Ms Mary White, said the figures produced by the Minster for Justice, Mr McDowell, did not justify his claims about widespread "citizenship tourism".
A Green local election candidate, Ms Sinead Ní Bhroin, said the views of those she had canvassed suggested the proposal would not be carried where she is seeking election in Ballyfermot, west Dublin.
Sinn Féin said it will distribute some 100,000 leaflets calling for a No vote.
The party's justice spokesman, Mr Aenghus Ó Snodaigh TD, said the Government proposal would create "internal contradictions" in Article 9 of the Constitution which would require resolution by the courts.
The Sinn Féin chairman, Mr Mitchel McLaughlin, said the referendum was a betrayal of the Belfast Agreement.
