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Thousands of demonstrators in Rome on Saturday burned images of US President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during a protest against the government’s judicial reforms and the Middle East war.
The march, initially organised to oppose Meloni’s planned judicial reforms, set for a referendum next weekend, also drew critics of the US-Israel conflict with Iran.
Many demonstrators decried Meloni’s close ties to Trump, even though Italy is not directly involved in the war.
AFP photographers observed a small group setting fire to posters depicting Trump and Meloni together. Most of the crowd were trade unionists, students, and left-wing activists, waving banners reading “No to the Meloni government,” “No to war,” and “No to the referendum,” along with Cuban, Iranian, and Palestinian flags.
“Meloni describes herself as a patriot, but this is the most subservient government, the most sycophantic of American interests in decades,” said 45-year-old protester Alessia Lotierzo.
The referendum, scheduled for March 22-23, would separate the roles of prosecutor and judge and change their oversight body.
Meloni says the reform is necessary to ensure judicial impartiality, but critics argue it is government interference in a judiciary that has repeatedly ruled against it.
Although Italy has provided defensive aid to Gulf nations attacked by Iran, Meloni has emphasised that the country is not at war and will remain uninvolved militarily.
