The demonstrations by Italian farmers continued on Saturday, with some 150 tractors present in Orte, an hour from Rome, the demonstrators announcing their imminent arrival in the capital, noted an AFP videographer. Marching in convoy near a major highway, the angry farmers demanded improvements in their working conditions and their income. “We will go to Rome, all together, all of Italy” of farmers, said one of the demonstrators, Felice Antonio Monfeli, without specifying the date. “Italian agriculture has awakened, it is a historical fact and the people present here demonstrate it. For the first time in their history, farmers are united under the same flag, that of Italy,” a- he added.
“We are waiting for the government to give us answers”
Impromptu demonstrations have taken place in recent weeks from Sicily to the north of the country. Convoys of tractors blocking roads are now regularly reported, although the scale of the movement has not reached the level of farmers’ protests in France, Germany or Belgium. Their demands range from complaints about European Union regulations to the impact of inflation and fuel costs.
The farmers are demanding an audience with the government of the head of government, Giorgia Meloni. “With this protest we expect the government to give us answers, personally,” said another protester, Domenico Chiergi. “The situation is critical, we cannot be slaves in our own businesses,” he protested.