Italy: uprising of the “No Pass”

“Libertà, libertà!” In Italy, around 80,000 people demonstrated in 81 cities over the weekend against the “Green Pass” and its use. At some point the slogan rang out everywhere: “Freedom, freedom!”. The action was directed against a decision by the government of Prime Minister Mario Draghi. From August 6th, many social, cultural and sporting activities will only be accessible to those who can identify themselves as vaccinated, recovered or tested with a Covid certificate. All others should no longer be allowed in closed facilities: in restaurants, theaters, indoor swimming pools. And not even in hospitals to visit relatives or football stadiums.

For the protesting people this is discrimination or, as some put it on banners, “apartheid against the unvaccinated.” Of course, the term is politically improper and what the slogan says is wrong. The government is not forcing anyone to vaccinate against Corona – except for the health care staff and possibly soon teachers and school employees. Alternatively, if you don’t want to be vaccinated, you can have yourself constantly tested.

But even this central nuance is lost in the often aggressive demonstration marches. Some carried a swastika with them on a green background, as if the “Green Pass” were an instrument from the Nazi inventory. One saw here and there the yellow Star of David: Among the people of the “No Pass” some apparently feel stigmatized. There were also photomontages in which Draghi was wearing a schnauzer like Adolf Hitler.

The demonstrators were mainly mobilized by two groups who had been spreading their theories and appeals for a while via Telegram and Facebook: “No Paura Day” (day against fear) and “Basta Dittatura” (end the dictatorship). They find supporters above all among deniers of the pandemic and opponents of vaccinations, so-called “No Vax”, as well as among voters of the extreme right and the extreme left.

On the Roman Piazza del Popolo, for example, where around 3,000 had gathered, rigorously without keeping distance and protective masks, the “Libertà, Libertà!” Choirs were voiced by men with megaphones. So that they could be recognized, they stuck the name of their organization on the voice amplifiers. One was “Forza Nuova” – that’s the name of an extra-parliamentary, declared neo-fascist group.

The ambivalent game of Salvini and Meloni

Also there were the “fascists of the 3rd millennium”, as the members of the “Casa Pound” party call themselves. On a banner one could read: “Salvini and Meloni, what are you waiting for, come out with us on the street.” Matteo Salvini, head of the right-wing Lega, and Giorgia Meloni, head of the post-fascist Fratelli d’Italia, are campaigning for the electorate of the “No Vax”, “No Mask” and “No Pass” with ambivalent statements, but without openly supporting them .

Exactly how big this electorate is, we do not know, there are only estimates: Around eight percent of the Italian population are apparently against vaccination, another seven percent believe in conspiracy stories. Italy’s interior ministry has been monitoring the movement for a year and is also examining the infiltration of right-wing extremist groups. But so far it seems that it is far less large than comparable movements in Germany and France.

A large majority consider the “Green Pass” to be an effective means of combating the new wave of infections without further lockdown. In the two days after Draghi’s announcement of the green passport alone, 350,000, mostly young people, booked an appointment for vaccinations – more than ever before.