ITALY: More than 150,000 people are expected to gather today in central Rome for a "Festival of Protest" aimed essentially at the person, personality and government of Italian media magnate and Prime Minister Mr Silvio Berlusconi. Organised by a broad-based "civil society" movement that includes prominent academics, actors, architects, orchestral conductors, film directors, musicians and writers, today's protest may well be the first of a series of anti-government demonstrations in a long, hot Italian autumn.
Film director Ermanno Olmi, architect Renzo Piano, conductor Claudio Abbado, Oscar-winning actor Roberto Benigni, composers Pierre Boulez and Hans-Werner Henze, publisher Carlo Feltrinelli and novelist Claudio Magris are just some of the prominent figures in Italian cultural life who have come out in support of the protest.
Led by the charismatic figure of left-wing film director Nanni Moretti, the man whose film The Son's Room won last year's Palme d'Or at Cannes, the protest has been organised outside the framework of mainstream political life. To make the point, the organisers have asked those centre-left opposition figures who attend to do so amongst the crowd and not on the platform.
The organisers claim that today's "Demonstration/Concert" is being held "in defence of the Foundations of the Italian Democratic State", in defence "of freedom of expression" and by way of protest against the controversial so-called "legitimate suspicion" Cirami bill currently going through parliament.
In essence, the protest is aimed at Mr Berlusconi, accused both by the "civil society" protest movement and by the centre-left parliamentary opposition of governing Italy not in the best interests of the Italian people but rather in the best interests of Silvio Berlusconi, entrepreneur. He is accused of censuring news via his control of almost 90 per cent of terrestial TV whilst the so-called Cirami bill, according to critics, is just the latest in a series aimed at resolving the Prime Minister's personal judicial problems.
"The current government, which has a huge parliamentary majority, is not governing along centre-right or even rightist lines. The only initiatives it takes are in the personal, judicial and financial interests of the head of government.We're dealing with a right that does not govern, rather it commands. This is a right that is about to smash to bits the fundamental principles of a democracy", says Moretti.
Mr Berlusconi will hear about the event only at second hand since he is otherwise engaged today, holding talks with US President Bush at Camp David, talks certain to focus on Italy's eventual logistical co-operation in any US-led military action in Iraq.