0,5 miljoen mensen betogen tegen Berlusconi
www.DeWaarheid.nu - 03.03.2002 01:25
ROME -- At least 1200,000 left-wing demonstrators took to the streets of Rome on Saturday to protest against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, accusing him of running Italy to further his own interests.
Waving red and olive green party flags, protesters from across the country converged on the capital, streaming past the Colosseum and the city´s other famous ruins in what organizers hoped would unite the often fractious opposition.
"We are here to protest peacefully against the man who thinks and acts like the owner of this country," said Piero Fassino, head of the Democrats of the Left, the largest party in the center-left opposition coalition.
"Today, with this enormous protest, the real challenge for Berlusconi starts," he added.
Frustrated by a series of bills that have been rushed through parliament by the governing majority, Italy´s battling center left parties have vowed to take their fight to the streets in a unified show of strength.
Critics have attacked a number of policies adopted by the government, claiming they are aimed at protecting Berlusconi and his allies. But the final straw for the opposition, humiliated in elections last year, was a conflict of interest bill passed by the lower house this week.
Leftist lawmakers stormed out of parliament on Thursday, leaving the government´s majority to approve the controversial legislation which critics say is tailor-made to protect Berlusconi and his giant media empire.
His family holding company controls Mediaset, Italy´s largest private television network, as well as several other financial, advertising and sports interests.
Labour unions, angered by government plans to make it easier to fire workers, are lending their voices to the protests, although on Saturday Berlusconi appeared to soften his stance on labor and pension reform, offering to "take a step back."
Organizers said about half a million people had turned out by late afternoon. Police estimates put the turnout at just over 120,000.
Activists donning Pinocchio noses and shouting "Down with Berlusconi!" flocked to the march.
Others carried large signs bearing images of a dollar bill with Berlusconi in the center that read: "Italy isn´t for sale; it´s mine."
Francesco Rutelli, leader of the Olive Tree opposition coalition, accused Berlusconi´s government during his address of "lies and ineptitude" and promised a new start for the opposition.
"Today, with renewed force, begins a new path forward for all of us," he said. "The right divides. The Olive coalition wants to unite Italy."
Many demonstrators waved banners accusing Berlusconi of being a liar and calling on Italy to "Wake Up!"
Stefano Fiori, a 27-year-old worker who had traveled from Emilia Romagna in the north, said the left needed to be energized.
"We´re here because we have problems with Berlusconi. The left has done nothing for the last few years. We´re here to push the left to do something," he said.
 Website: http://www.DeWaarheid.nu
|
