Italy: mass demonstration against the far right
Many citizens - 60,000 according to the police, 200,000 according to the organisers - took part in a huge demonstration against fascism in Rome on Saturday. The protests were called by the trade unions after right-wing extremists hijacked a demonstration against Italy's 3G rules (vaccinated, recovered or tested) a week earlier to attack the headquarters of the CGIL trade union. The people of Italy value their democracy, commentators conclude.
United in defence of democracy
The large joint protest called by several trade union confederations sends an important message, says Il Manifesto:
“There was a strong sense of solidarity on the square, and at the same time of a new political commitment that goes beyond any declaration of allegiance. Because this time it was a matter of defending the whole of Italian democracy and the constitution that emerged from the anti-fascist resistance.”
Moderate forces on the rise
Many Italians would like to see more moderation in political debates, Der Standard observes approvingly:
“A week after the attack by right-wing extremists on the headquarters of the CGIL trade union federation in Rome on the fringe of a demonstration against Covid measures, hundreds of thousands have now taken to the streets to make it clear that such behaviour must not be tolerated. And the results of the recent local elections also clearly show: people in Italy are increasingly deaf to catchy inflammatory slogans - they're listening to more moderate voices again. ... The coronavirus crisis may have been a great, unexpected opportunity for the populists, but at least in Italy they've failed to take advantage of it - for now.”