Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in the Italian capital, Rome, today, Saturday, against the neo-fascists, and raised slogans calling for a ban on the far-right.
These mass demonstrations came in the wake of the storming of the headquarters of the most powerful labor union in Italy by right-wing extremists, while protesting against the mandatory health certificate for the Corona virus to enter workplaces.
Organizers said that about 200,000 people participated in Saturday's demonstration, and 800 buses and 10 trains were allocated to transport people to the capital to participate in the event.
Today's protests were led by Maurizio Landini, head of the Sgel trade union, along with other labor leaders, as participants gathered in front of the Cathedral of St. John Lateran.
The demonstrations carried the slogan "Fascism will not return again", and some participants waved flags that read "Yes to the vaccine", which is a direct response to the demonstrators who destroyed the headquarters of Italy's oldest SGIL union on October 9, using sticks and metal rods.
Landini explained that the demonstration aims to defend democracy for all the people.
"This square also represents everyone who wants to change Italy and close the door to political violence," he added in his speech to the crowd.
He compared the attack on the union headquarters to the 1921 attacks by the then-founded National Fascist Party against union organizers. Fascist leader Benito Mussolini came to power the following year, and later entered Italy into World War II as an ally of Nazi Germany.
In this context, the Italian Confederation of Trade Unions, Luigi Spara, condemned the attack on the unions led by the far-right Forza Nuova party, and called for the swift dissolution of the party by the Italian authorities.
"Neo-fascist groups must be banned immediately. But this must be just the beginning, we need anti-fascist education in schools," said university student Margarita Sardi.