Tens of thousands of people marched in Rome on Saturday to demand peace in Ukraine and an end to the Italian government sending arms to fight against the Russian invasion. “No to war. No to sending arms“, could we read on a large banner carried by the demonstrators – numbering 30,000, according to police figures quoted by the Italian media – who chanted: “give peace a chance!“.
Italy, one of the founding members of NATO, has supported Ukraine since the start of the conflict at the end of February, in particular by supplying it with weapons. The far-right new prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, has said that will not change and the government plans to send additional military equipment soon. But some, including former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, believe Italy should step up negotiations instead.
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“The weapons were sent early on the grounds that it would prevent an escalation“said a protester, Roberto Zanotto, to AFPTV. “Nine months later, it seems to me that there has been an escalation. Look at the facts: Sending weapons does not help stop a war, weapons help fuel a war“.
According to Sara Gianpietro, a student, the conflict drags on by delivering weapons to Ukraine, which “has economic consequences for our country, but also for the respect of human rights“. On Friday, the foreign ministers of the G7 states, including Italy, promised to continue supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia.