Thousands march in Rome to protest "hate climate" | New

Rome, Italy – At least 20,000 people marched in Rome to express their opposition to the Italian populist government, which they say is fueling a "climate of growing hatred" since it came to power five months ago.

The Saturday demonstration was organized by far-right, anti-racist and anti-fascist groups, largely orphaned by any dominant political representation.

Recently expelled Roma families from camps have gathered alongside students, migrants and refugees, as well as human rights activists and social centers across the country.

The march is set to sing: "We are all clandestine!" with a slight delay, some buses having been held outside the capital for long police checks.

Among the protesters was Domenico Lucano, Mayor of Riace, who was recently placed under house arrest and banned from the southern city for facilitating undocumented migration.

The organizers said the event was the result of an attempt by civil society groups to create a united front, at a time when racist incidents are increasingly reported, alongside episodes of institutional discrimination. – such as the denial of meals at the school of children.

"I am here against the climate of intolerance and the total social and cultural poverty that this country is going through, but also this city," said Massimo Guidotti, who runs an "intercultural" crèche in Rome, which is currently threatened with closure.

"We continue to work on the basis of equality as a universal right, but we are at risk of becoming [increasingly isolated] if people do not wake up, "Guidotti added.

"Salvini Decree" opposite

Three months after an inconclusive March 4 election, an agreement between the Five Star Movement and the far-right party of the League has resulted in the formation of the new Italian government. Since then, polls show that the former are losing popularity, the latter having almost doubled its consensus to become the first party in the country.

Much of the league party's popularity can be attributed to the anti-migrant stance of its chief and interior minister Matteo Salvini, which included preventing NGO-run refugee rescue boats. Mooring in Italian ports.

Even though the number of arrivals had already decreased as a result of the agreement with the previous government with Libya, such actions have had an effect on public opinion. They have also led to higher death rates and disappearances of people in the central Mediterranean, according to the report. Italian Institute of International Political Studies (ISPI).

This week, the Italian Senate gave the green light to a "Security and Migration" decree by Salvini, who is also one of the two deputy prime ministers of the country.

This measure allowed the bill to become law within 60 days of its coming into force on October 5. It will now be examined by the second chamber of the Italian parliament, the Chamber of Deputies.

Salvini said the new rules would reduce the financial costs of migration, while Italy would continue to grant refuge to those entitled to asylum.

Among the most contentious measures is the removal of humanitarian protection, previously used by Italy to grant applicants who did not qualify for asylum or subsidiary protection. This type of permit will be replaced by special permits to stay in Italy on the basis of stricter categories and issued for a shorter period.

"We want the security of a roof over our heads," said a speaker of a truck leading the protest, referring to the bill dubbed "Salvini Decree", while protesters claimed his withdrawal.

"The climate of hate terrifies me"

Boubakar Bahaba, 25, came to the march with a group from Caserta, a city near Naples that was the scene of at least one round of machine gun fire against migrants during the summer, often referred to as "jokes" authorities and a large part of the public.

Bahaba, originally from Senegal, has a humanitarian protection permit allowing him to catch up with his higher education while working as a cultural mediator. He learned Italian through one of the programs of the migrant home system.

Under the new rules, none of this would have been offered to him.

"We have to move forward, not backward," said Bahaba. "How can I renew this license?" It worries me, "he says.

There are also concerns that the new measure will lead to more people being left without papers and without rights in Italian streets. creating "new forms of irregularity".

According to ISPI, this number could reach 60,000 more two years from today's system.

The think tank said that in the first five months of the government, more people have had their applications rejected, while fewer have been repatriated compared to the average of the previous government.

"Those who decide to cross the sea, or even walk for miles to get to the US border in search of a better life – I can only support that personally," Saba Abbate said. , a 22-year-old student, born in Italy to an Ethiopian father.

"The growing climate of hate terrifies me, on the bus or at the market we live it every day."