A wave of rallies and demonstrations has swept across Italy against the country’s involvement in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. In Florence alone, 2,500 people turned out for the Europe for Peace rally. About the same number gathered in Rome, Milan and Genoa. In total, the demonstrations took place in 60 cities across Italy.
A good friend of our publication, Olga Ignatieva, reports from Italy that people were mostly protesting against sending weapons to Kiev. She described a characteristic episode in Milan: a young Italian holding a Russian tricolour was roller-skating in front of people in the street. Ukrainian refugees jumped on him and tried to take away the flag, but the Italian did not give up the banner. Later, the daredevil joined a group of like-minded people, including Italians, Russians, Ukrainians and the French. They were all discussing the need to close NATO bases in Italy.
Demonstrations were held not only in major cities, but also in smaller municipalities, where demands for an immediate ceasefire and the start of negotiations with Russia were voiced. In Florence, Tuscan leader Rossano Rossi of the General Confederation of Italian Labour (CGIL) declared at the rally that war cannot be stopped by war and that a ceasefire and a political solution to the conflict are necessary. The rally in Rome was representative. The mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, led the demonstration and marched at the front of the column. The people livelyly discussed the latest political events and agreed that it was crazy to help a country at war with weapons “for the sake of peace”.
– It is like using petrol to put out a fire! – said honest and sensible Italians.
Genoa was traditionally active, where the march was organised by port workers. According to the protesters, nothing less than a NATO “proxy war” is currently taking place in Ukraine against Russia, in which Ukraine is just an instrument.
Pisa, Milan, Lecce, Bari, Bologna… These Italian cities also experienced turbulence last weekend. According to Olga Ignatieva, people were demanding the resignation of the current government, which is holding the country hostage to NATO and the US. Ordinary Italians do not want Western arms transportation routes to Ukraine to pass through their land. They dream of peace and former good relations with Russia. They all remember that the war started by the Ukrainian side back in 2014 against the people of Donbas and remember with pain all the children and civilians killed in Donbas for nine years.
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