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'Sardines' against Salvini: Italy's fight against the far right | 'Sardines' against Salvini: Italy's fight against the far right |
(about 13 hours later) | |
Grassroots protests have brought tens of thousands of people on to the streets of Rome | Grassroots protests have brought tens of thousands of people on to the streets of Rome |
Tens of thousands of people crammed together in Rome on Saturday as part of the growing “sardines” movement against the leader of the far-right League and Italy’s former deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini, and his allies. | |
Protesters converged in Piazza San Giovanni early in the afternoon in a bid “to further shake up the country’s politics and battle xenophobia”, in what was billed as their biggest rally. | Protesters converged in Piazza San Giovanni early in the afternoon in a bid “to further shake up the country’s politics and battle xenophobia”, in what was billed as their biggest rally. |
“We are very happy and reached our goal,” said one of the movement’s founders, Mattia Sartori, 32. | |
“We are anti-fascist, pro-equality, against intolerance, against homophobia,” Santori told AFP, as protesters sang the anti-fascist anthem Bella Ciao. | “We are anti-fascist, pro-equality, against intolerance, against homophobia,” Santori told AFP, as protesters sang the anti-fascist anthem Bella Ciao. |
“We are weary of this culture of hatred,” the movement’s representative in the Italian capital, Stephen Ogongo, a 45-year-old journalist of Kenyan origin, told AFP. ‘‘We will no longer tolerate language that is racist, fascist, discriminatory or sexist.” | “We are weary of this culture of hatred,” the movement’s representative in the Italian capital, Stephen Ogongo, a 45-year-old journalist of Kenyan origin, told AFP. ‘‘We will no longer tolerate language that is racist, fascist, discriminatory or sexist.” |
The Sardines movement began in November after Santori, from Bologna, sent an urgent message to three friends late at night telling them to meet the next day. It was a couple of days before Salvini and his coalition partners, the smaller far-right party Brothers of Italy, and Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia, were due to launch their campaign for the Emilia-Romagna regional election at an indoor sports arena in Bologna. | The Sardines movement began in November after Santori, from Bologna, sent an urgent message to three friends late at night telling them to meet the next day. It was a couple of days before Salvini and his coalition partners, the smaller far-right party Brothers of Italy, and Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia, were due to launch their campaign for the Emilia-Romagna regional election at an indoor sports arena in Bologna. |
The four friends hatched a riposte to Salvini’s boasts about filling Italy’s squares with supporters. The sports arena had a capacity for 5,700 people, and via an announcement on Santori’s private Facebook page, the group invited people to a counter-rally at Bologna’s Piazza Maggiore, with the aim of attracting 6,000 people. | The four friends hatched a riposte to Salvini’s boasts about filling Italy’s squares with supporters. The sports arena had a capacity for 5,700 people, and via an announcement on Santori’s private Facebook page, the group invited people to a counter-rally at Bologna’s Piazza Maggiore, with the aim of attracting 6,000 people. |
What happened next confounded their expectations: 15,000 people filled the Bologna square. As Salvini’s far-right electoral alliance pursued its campaign, the Sardines converged in other Emilia-Romagna cities before spreading across Italy and beyond. | What happened next confounded their expectations: 15,000 people filled the Bologna square. As Salvini’s far-right electoral alliance pursued its campaign, the Sardines converged in other Emilia-Romagna cities before spreading across Italy and beyond. |
Hundreds of migrants also joined the Sardines on Saturday in Rome to protest against Salvini’s hardline immigration policies. | Hundreds of migrants also joined the Sardines on Saturday in Rome to protest against Salvini’s hardline immigration policies. |
Before being ejected from government in August after his failed gambit to collapse a coalition with the Five Star Movement (M5S) and bring about snap elections, Salvini’s main achievement when in office was to introduce draconian anti-immigration measures, including closing seaports to migrants. | Before being ejected from government in August after his failed gambit to collapse a coalition with the Five Star Movement (M5S) and bring about snap elections, Salvini’s main achievement when in office was to introduce draconian anti-immigration measures, including closing seaports to migrants. |
“They told us that immigration is a problem in order to hide real problems,” said Pietro Bartolo, a member of the European parliament who is known as the “doctors of migrants” and who has dedicated years of his life to addressing the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean. | “They told us that immigration is a problem in order to hide real problems,” said Pietro Bartolo, a member of the European parliament who is known as the “doctors of migrants” and who has dedicated years of his life to addressing the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean. |
“We have to resist,” added Bartolo, who joined the protest. “Laws that criminalise those who save people are laws against our constitution. These laws are a shame.” | “We have to resist,” added Bartolo, who joined the protest. “Laws that criminalise those who save people are laws against our constitution. These laws are a shame.” |
Salvini has mocked the movement, writing on Twitter that he prefers kittens as “they eat sardines when hungry”. | Salvini has mocked the movement, writing on Twitter that he prefers kittens as “they eat sardines when hungry”. |
However, in a poll in November, 40% of Italians said that the movement now represents Salvini’s “most dangerous enemy”. | However, in a poll in November, 40% of Italians said that the movement now represents Salvini’s “most dangerous enemy”. |