In numerous Italian cities, tens of thousands of people demonstrated against the introduction of the "green passport" to contain the coronavirus over the weekend.

After a long debate, the cabinet under Prime Minister Mario Draghi decided late on Thursday evening that from August 6th, access to the indoor areas of restaurants, museums, theaters and cinemas, to sporting and cultural events as well as swimming pools and fitness studios would only be possible upon presentation of a certificate is allowed to demonstrate vaccination, recovery, or a negative test.

Tourists from abroad can show their EU vaccination pass or their national vaccination certificate.

Matthias Rüb

Political correspondent for Italy, the Vatican, Albania and Malta based in Rome.

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Italian media reported that a total of 80,000 people in more than eighty cities demonstrated against the vaccination certificate, known in Italy as the “Green Pass”.

The largest protests were reported from Rome with around 3000 participants as well as from Milan, Turin, Naples, Genoa and Bolzano.

"Freedom" and "Down with the dictatorship" were chanted at the demonstrations.

Speakers denounced the unconstitutionality of the measures adopted.

According to media reports, numerous supporters of right-wing extremist and neo-fascist groups took part in the protests.

Draghi's haunting words

The willingness to vaccinate increased across the country after the new decree was promulgated. The vaccination campaign in Italy had recently stalled. According to media reports, around 150,000 vaccination appointments were booked nationwide within a few hours of the Draghi press conference. Depending on the region, there was "a booking boom with increases of 15 to 200 percent," said the government's pandemic special commissioner, Army General Francesco Figliuolo. In Lombardy in northern Italy, the most populous Italian region, almost 49,000 people booked an appointment for the administration of the first dose of vaccine on Thursday evening alone, almost twice as many as the day before, Figliuolo said. There was a similar boom after the announcement of the introduction of the “green pass” with more than 38.000 reservations are also made in the central Italian region of Latium with the capital Rome.

"Open Vax Days" with the possibility of vaccination for all age groups are offered in several regions.

59.3 percent of the total population and 69.9 percent of the population over the age of twelve are vaccinated with one dose in Italy.

Fifty.3 percent of the total population are fully immunized with two doses, and 55.8 percent of people over twelve years of age.

In his press conference after the cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Draghi criticized the attitude of vaccination opponents and skeptics with drastic words: “The call not to be vaccinated is a call to die.

Those who don't get vaccinated can get sick and die.

Or you infect someone else who then falls ill and dies. "

Salvini got vaccinated, Meloni didn't

Draghi's criticism was clearly directed at politicians in his own coalition such as the right-wing national Lega and the post-fascist opposition party "Brothers of Italy". The Lega boss and former interior minister Matteo Salvini said last week the vaccination of people under 40 years of age was not absolutely necessary and completely rejected the immunization of children and adolescents. Salvini himself had the first dose vaccinated on Friday morning in Milan. He implicitly rejected Draghi's criticism with the words that nobody accused the Standing Vaccination Commission in Germany of calling for death because they had not given a general vaccination recommendation for young people between the ages of twelve and 18. "The aim of all of us, mine as well as that of Draghi, isTo save lives and protect the Italians, ”said Salvini.

Giorgia Meloni, party leader of the “Brothers of Italy” and undisputed opposition leader, described the introduction of the “green passport” by the Draghi government as “the last step in the creation of an Orwellian society” and “unconstitutional madness”. Meloni has not yet been vaccinated.

According to the findings of opinion polls, the number of declared opponents of vaccinations in Italy has decreased significantly from around 30 percent since the beginning of the pandemic, but according to the latest surveys it is still between eleven and 13 percent. At 23 percent, the share of opponents of compulsory vaccination among supporters of the “Brothers of Italy” party is highest, 16 percent of potential voters of the post-fascist party do not want to be vaccinated against the virus. Twenty percent of Lega voters are against compulsory vaccination, and even 23 percent say they personally do not want a corona vaccination. Among supporters of the left-wing populist five-star movement, 13 percent are against the compulsory vaccination, nine percent do not want to be vaccinated.