Shouting "No Green Pass" and "Freedom!", protesters stormed the national headquarters of the General Confederation of Labor of Italy, the largest union of workers in this country.
Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi will take measures to prevent further violent demonstrations led by Anti-Vax movements and neo-fascist groups.
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On Saturday, citizens took to the streets to protest against the COVID-19 vaccination certificate, which will be mandatory to work from Oct. 15. In Rome, for example, some 10,000 people were in protests in which far-right and neo -fascist leaders made their presence visible.
During the demonstration, numerous violent clashes occurred between protesters and police. Shouting "No Green Pass" and "Freedom!", protesters stormed the national headquarters of the General Confederation of Labor of Italy (CGIL), the largest union of workers in this European country. They also attacked the the Umberto I Hospital. Following these violent events, 12 people were arrested, including the neo-fascist leader Roberto Fiore.
On Monday, Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese and the Rome Mayor Matteo Piantedosi organized a meeting to develop a security plan to be implemented as from Oct. 15. In addition, the Draghi administration announced that authorities will authorize demonstrations only if their organizers provide guarantees that they will respect the law.
#Today 11 October.#Italy in the streets: General Strike on October 11th ➡️ https://t.co/Lv5dszqlKe #11ottobre #SCIOPEROGenerale #Italia https://t.co/Ek3S4i4E6i pic.twitter.com/N0N48KMpo8
— In Defense of Communism (@id_communism) October 10, 2021
"If there are no conditions to guarantee security, the events will be prohibited, and those who have submitted a request to demonstrate will be prevented from taking to the streets," he said.
The Italian authorities underestimated the magnitude of Saturday demonstrations as they implemented security arrangements for a concentration of about 3,000 people. Most probably, far-right movements were "totally indifferent to the vaccination certificate, but they used it as a pretext to attack democratic institutions," Labor Minister Andrea Orlando pointed out.
Workers’ organizations, however, believe these measures are not aimed only at stopping the Anti-Vax and far-right movements. According to them, the government also intends to block the demonstrations against the neoliberal policies that it wants to implement.
#FromTheSouth News Bits | Italy’s government will spend around 3.5 billion euros ($4.1 billion) to protect consumers from a surge in energy prices that’s hit countries across Europe, according to people familiar with the matter. pic.twitter.com/a23c2p4neI
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) September 24, 2021