Italian "sardines" who want to arrest Celebini: "against fascism"

Tens of thousands of grassroots supporters opposed to the leader of the far-right party have gathered in Rome, warning of its rise. According to the polls, she may win the next election. "The sardines are just people who fill space with their ideas and fight the enemy"

Italian "sardines" who want to arrest Celebini: "against fascism"

Tens of thousands attended a rally yesterday in central Rome organized by the Sardine movement, which was drafted a month ago during protests against Italy's right-wing leader Matteo Celebini. The movement began in the city of Bologna in November, when 32-year-old Matia Santori and three of his friends invited the public to protest against the very popular Slavini "League" party ahead of the North Emilia-Romanga district election.

Celebini hopes to win Jan. 26 in the wealthy district. According to him, if the left loses power there, he must also step down from the government in Rome, thus opening the way to a general election.

Students, retirees, and families with children filled Piazza San Giovanni in Rome on a sunny afternoon, some holding cardboard pictures of sardines and singing resistance songs. "I'm here because I'm against Celebini and I'm against the right and I want to see how many people feel like me," said Flavia Simola, a 68-year-old pension biologist.

The protest began in the city of Bologna in November. Demonstration of sardines in Rome yesterday (Photo: Reuters)

Demonstration of the sardines against the extreme right in Rome, Italy - December 14, 2019 (Photo: Reuters)

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Since their first demonstration in Bologna, which is estimated to have about 15,000 people, the popularity of the "sardines" has soared. They held larger meetings in several cities in Italy, including Turin and Milan, to denounce Salbini, whose attitudes towards immigrants echoed among many voters. The rally in Rome appeared to be the largest so far, with about 40,000 demonstrators taking part in it, but organizers did not provide official figures.

"Our goal was to fill the square and we were able to do that," Santori said. "The sardines are just people filling space with their ideas and fighting the enemy - stripping issues by populists."

Polls say that left-wing Emilia-Romagna could fall to the league and its allies on the right following the successes of other regional votes, most recently in the center of Umbria. According to the polls, the right may also win every national vote, with the league being seen as the most popular party in Italy.

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It is estimated that about 40,000 people participated. Demonstration in Rome last night (Photo: Reuters)

Demonstration of the sardines against the extreme right in Rome, Italy - December 14, 2019 (Photo: Reuters)

"I'm here to say I'm against fascism, I consider Celebini fascist," said Luca Bironi, an 18-year-old student. Celebini blamed the Democratic Party (PD) for being behind the sardine movement, rejecting the protests by saying he loves cats Eat sardines. "

The Sardines shrug off any political affiliation and say they just want to express their opposition to populist forces that are intensifying after a decade of economic stagnation. Senatori yesterday said that 99% of traffic supporters do not want it to become a party. "We do not want to replace political movements," he said.

The five-star governing movement in the country also emerged from a public protest in Bologna in 2007. It won the general election last year, but its support has dropped sharply since forming a government with the league, and then the center-left Democratic Party.

Mistrust of Italian politics has escalated in recent years as far-right parties leap into their polls against the stagnation of the economy that has not yet recovered from the blows it suffered during the global economic crisis of the past decade. The polls show that the league is Italy's most popular party, with around 33% support, with the Italian Brotherhood party, an even more extreme right-wing ally, winning 10%. According to these figures, they have a good chance of gaining power in the event of early elections.

Do not want to replace political movements. Protesters protesting sardines yesterday, Rome (Photo: Reuters)

Demonstration of the sardines against the extreme right in Rome, Italy - December 14, 2019 (Photo: Reuters)