Covid-19: Protesters clash with Italian police over business closures
Protestors clashed with police in Rome for a second week running on Monday as small business owners and employees demonstrated against continued Covid-19 closures across the country.
Around 200 people tried to reach prime minister Mario Draghi’s office, but were held back by lines of police in riot gear, Reuters reports.
Some protesters hurled stones and bottles at the police and let off fireworks, filling the street with smoke.
There were similar clashes with police last week during a protest outside parliament, organised by the same group.
Some Italian media reported that far-right groups including Casapound had hijacked the protests, triggering the violence on both occasions.
The demonstration in the city’s central Piazza San Silvestro had initially been organised by a movement called ‘Io Apro’ (meaning “I will open”), which includes restaurant, bar and other business owners who have said they’ll reopen despite the rules currently forbidding them to.
“The problem is we just don’t know what to do. They tell us that we can only do take-aways, but in my neighbourhood with a population of 3,000, what kind of take-aways can I do?” said Silvio Bessone, a chef from the northern Piedmont region.
The whole country remains under tough restrictions meaning bars and restaurants can only serve takeout and delivery, while other businesses such as bars and gyms must remain closed.
While Italy’s first national lockdown in March 2020 was widely accepted, there have been protests since October over renewed measures.
There has been growing unrest in recent weeks after the government said current tight restrictions, which amount to a lockdown in many areas, would stay in place until at least April 30th.
The Italian government has not yet provided a clear plan for the country’s exit from the current lockdown.
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Around 200 people tried to reach prime minister Mario Draghi’s office, but were held back by lines of police in riot gear, Reuters reports.
Some protesters hurled stones and bottles at the police and let off fireworks, filling the street with smoke.
There were similar clashes with police last week during a protest outside parliament, organised by the same group.
Some Italian media reported that far-right groups including Casapound had hijacked the protests, triggering the violence on both occasions.
The demonstration in the city’s central Piazza San Silvestro had initially been organised by a movement called ‘Io Apro’ (meaning “I will open”), which includes restaurant, bar and other business owners who have said they’ll reopen despite the rules currently forbidding them to.
“The problem is we just don’t know what to do. They tell us that we can only do take-aways, but in my neighbourhood with a population of 3,000, what kind of take-aways can I do?” said Silvio Bessone, a chef from the northern Piedmont region.
The whole country remains under tough restrictions meaning bars and restaurants can only serve takeout and delivery, while other businesses such as bars and gyms must remain closed.
While Italy’s first national lockdown in March 2020 was widely accepted, there have been protests since October over renewed measures.
There has been growing unrest in recent weeks after the government said current tight restrictions, which amount to a lockdown in many areas, would stay in place until at least April 30th.
The Italian government has not yet provided a clear plan for the country’s exit from the current lockdown.
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