Thousands of Italians joined their German brothers and sisters in demonstrating across the country in Rome, Florence, and Genoa against Western sanctions imposed on Russia and transfer of lethal military hardware to Ukraine, a day after the first anniversary of the Ukraine-Russia war.
The protesters chanted “No to war” and “Peace”, demanding an end to the war and urging the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government to stop supplying Kiev with weapons, Press TV reported.
The anti-war protesters also held demonstrations in Milan, Italy’s second-largest city, Pisa, Florence, and Lecce among several other cities.
In Genoa, people took to the streets and chanted “Exit Italy from NATO”, calling for Italy’s withdrawal from the European Union and NATO.
“Our vision is to restore relations with our Russian friends and work for the good of the world,” one of the demonstrators said.
Italy’s PM Meloni has repeatedly said that supporting Ukraine is the best way to reach a possible negotiated settlement with Moscow and that Rome aims to be a lead player in that regard and in Ukraine’s reconstruction.
This is while prices in Italy rose by 8.1 percent in 2022, hitting a 37-year high, due to soaring energy and food prices linked primarily to the conflict in Ukraine and the related rearmament spending that all members of the bloc are engaged in.