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"The Sardines", young and old, gathered in Rome singing the most famous song of the Italian anti-fascist partisans, this Saturday December 14, 2019. REUTERS / Yara Nardi

Tens of thousands of people, the famous "Sardines", of the new anti-Salvini and anti-populist movement, invaded one of the largest squares in Rome on Saturday, in front of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, to demonstrate.

Since its creation a month ago, the "Sardines" movement has organized dozens of events punctuated by the song of the resistants Bella Ciao, bringing together a total of 300,000 people, in Milan, Florence, Naples and Palermo.

This Saturday in Rome, "the Sardines" celebrated their first anniversary by singing again with great enthusiasm both Bella Ciao, the most famous song of the Italian anti-fascist partisans, and the national anthem by listening to the reading of selected songs from the Constitution.

Young and old “Sardines” who came on foot, by bicycle and even in a wheelchair, competed in imagination to stand out in the crowd: who carried a gigantic sardine colored with paper, who a “skewer” of sardines, who a jellyfish.

“ We are at risk, believing that sardines are the solution to all ills. But sardines do not exist, they are people who fill the places with their ideas and see an enemy, the simplified single thought of populism, "declared Mattia Santori, one of the founders of this movement, to the crowd.

The idea is to " bring out a new energy through a much freer and spontaneous form " than a party, by adopting an organization " which will not be hierarchical " but will set " broad directions ", had underlined the day before Mattia Santori, 32, researcher in economics and volunteer sports coach in associations.

Read also: Italy: in the street as on the Web, sardines in a bench against the far right

How the "Sardines" were born

"Les Sardines" is the name of a movement born a few weeks ago in reaction to the speech by the League, the far right party of Matteo Salvini (ex-number 2 of the Italian government).

It all started with a few young people who live in the city of Bologna and who are very worried about the fate of their region…

Marc Lazar, director of the Sciences Po History Center 12/14/2019 - by Nicolas Falez Listen

Marc Lazar is the author of “Peuplecratie, la métamorphose de nos democracies” (published by Gallimard).

Read also: Italy: the “Sardines” celebrate their first month of existence this Saturday