Thousands of people protested on Saturday in Rome against “the greatest attack on freedom of dissident in the history of the Italian Republic”
Protest in Rome, Saturday, May 31, 2025, against a Security Law. Credit: Zuma Press Wire / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia
Thousands of people participated in a march on Saturday in Rome to protest against a security law approved by the right -wing government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, denouncing his reforms in the field of criminal justice as repressive, reports AFP.
Under the strict guard of the police and on a suffocating heat, the protesters marched through the center of the Italian capital, passing by tourist objectives such as Colosseum, and waved trade union, but also Palestinian.
The law is prepared to punish for certain actions, including protests, and increases protection for police officers accused of violence.
“We consider this law the greatest attack on freedom of dissident” against the Government “in the history of the Italian Republic,” said lawyer Cesare Fretomaso, member of the National Association of Democrats, for AFP.
The decree was approved by the Italian government in April, and on Thursday the lower Chamber of Parliament and it is estimated that in no more than 10 days it will be adopted by the Senate, where the right from the government holds the majority.
Based on the new rules, police officers who face violence charges during service will be eligible for legal assistance worth 10,000 euros. At the same time, harsh penalties are provided for crimes such as participation in “riots in prisons”.
People who illegally occupy an apartment will face faster evacuation procedures, and pregnant women or mothers with young children will no longer have the chance to avoid prison in case of sentence with imprisonment, which they will still atone in less severe detention centers.
Traditional trade union protests, such as road blockages, which were previously considered an administrative offense, can be punished by up to 2 years in prison.
“The crisis of housing cannot be resolved with seven -year prison penalties for the homeless, but with various social policies,” added Cesare Pretomaso.
The government insists that it has the mandate to adopt the law.
“The order, security and legality are in the center of the actions of the Meloni Government,” said Carolina Varchi on Friday, deputy in the far -right party of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the brothers of Italy.
“To challenge this decree, it means, in essence, to turn the back of the security request that comes from the citizens,” Varchi concluded.
