Max Civili
Press TV, Rome
The voice of dissent keeps growing amid right-wing formations over the government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis in Italy.
New anti-government rallies were held in a number of Italian cities, including Milan, Florence, and Bari on Tuesday as Italy was celebrating its 74th Republic Day.
In Rome, right-leaning opposition parties Forza Italia, the League, and Brothers of Italy — flanked by a fringe of neo-fascist group Forza Nuova — staged a rally in one of Rome’s most iconic squares, Piazza del Popolo. The demo was attended by hundreds of people, many of whom were ignoring social-distancing rules.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte marked Italy’s national day, calling on citizens to work together to revive the country, evoking efforts to rebuild the nation after WW2.
Italy has been the scene of anti-government rallies over the past days. Protestors wearing orange vests took to the streets of several Italian cities at the weekend, dismissing COVID-19 as a conspiracy.
They demanded the replacement of the government of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and a return to the Italian lira.
Hundreds of orange vests turned up in Piazza del Popolo square immediately after the rally, staged by the center-right political opposition.
With the number of COVID-19 cases continuing to decline, Italians are bracing for restrictions on domestic travel to be lifted, ending almost three months of confinement to their home region to contain transmission of the disease.