Tens of thousands march against Berlusconi
Rome: Tens of thousands of people
demonstrated in the centre of Rome against Italian Prime
Minister Silvio Berlusconi today after an Internet call for a
"No Berlusconi Day."
Most of them wore scarves, T-shirts or sweaters in
various shades of violet after the group of bloggers who
organised the protest chose it as the only colour not used by
political parties.
The organisers claimed to have attracted 350,000
supporters from a wide spectrum of society, backed by mainly
left-wing opposition parties.
Banners carried by the marchers calling on Berlusconi to
quit referred to the Prime Minister's various legal problems,
including suspicions of corruption and tax fraud.
"We want Berlusconi to resign because we do not feel that
he represents us," one of the organisers, Emmanuele de
Pascale, 28, told.
Participants ranged from film director Nanni Moretti, who
condemned Berlusconi's domination of Italian television, to
ecologists opposed to a planned bridge across the Straits of
Messina and immigrant defence groups.
The demonstration came a day after a Mafia hitman
testified at a trial in Turin that his boss alleged Berlusconi
had aided organised crime.
Berlusconi has vehemently denied ties to the Mafia.
PTI