「イワシ運動」がローマで反極右デモ、数万人参加

【ローマＡＦＰ＝時事】イタリアの首都ローマで14日、ゼノフォビア（外国人嫌悪）に抗議し政治改革を訴える若者主導の「イワシ運動」のデモが行われ、数万人が参加した。（写真はイタリア・ローマで行われた「イワシ運動」のデモで、イワシが描かれたプラカードを手にする子ども）
　イワシ運動は、前政権の副首相兼内相として移民に厳しい姿勢を取った極右のマッテオ・サルビーニ氏に対する抗議の象徴となっている。
　右派の「ポピュリズム（大衆迎合主義）」に反対している運動の創始者の一人、マッティア・サントーリ氏（３２）は市民に対し、従来の政党よりも自由で自発的な形を取ることで、新たなエネルギーを引き出したいと語った。「階層組織」にはせず、「幅広い方向性」を設定していくという。
　イワシ運動は１か月前にボローニャで誕生したばかり。サルビーニ氏が語る「憎しみと分断」を非難しようと無名の活動家４人が呼び掛けたデモに１万５０００人が参加し、誰もが驚いた。
　以来、ミラノやフィレンツェ、ナポリ、パレルモでデモを実施し、数万人を動員した。
　サントーリ氏はＡＦＰに対し、「最初は反サルビーニだったが、後に民主主義の再確認となった。われわれは反ファシストだ。平等を支持し、不寛容や同性愛嫌悪に反対している」と語った。
　イワシ運動を立ち上げたのは、経済学者のサントーリ氏と観光ガイドのアンドレア・ガレッファ氏（３４）、エンジニアのロベルト・モロッティ氏（３１）。３人は政治を「クールな」ものにしたいと語る。
　運動のローマ支部代表を務めるのはケニア出身のジャーナリスト、スティーブン・オゴンゴ氏（４５）だ。
　オゴンゴ氏は１５日ほど前にローマ支部のフェイスブック公式ページを立ち上げ、１４日のデモを呼び掛けた。オゴンゴ氏は、「（立ち上げの）翌日、１万人が参加を希望した」「その次の日には２万人になった」と語った。
　イワシ運動の参加者の多くは、気候変動やマフィア、貧困問題のデモにも参加している。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2019/12/16-08:57）

Tens of thousands of members of Italy's youth-driven Sardine Movement on Saturday rallied in Rome, as part of their campaign to battle xenophobia and shake up the country's politics.
The Sardines have become a symbol of protest against far-right firebrand leader Matteo Salvini, who served as interior minister and deputy prime minister in Italy's previous coalition government and cracked down on immigration.
In Rome's immense San Giovanni Square, retiree Roberto Piperno was among those joining the crowd, which sang the anti-fascist anthem Bella Ciao, a staple of the movement's demonstrations.
He turned out because he did not want to see hatred propagated and to do nothing would make him ashamed to be Italian, he said.
Taking aim at populism, 32-year-old Mattia Santori, a founder of the movement, told the crowd the idea was to bring out a new energy through a much freer and more spontaneous form than a traditional political party that will not be hierarchical but would instead set broad directions.
One demonstrator held up a giant sardine model, while others brandished drawings and posters.
The movement, only a month old, started in Bologna when a rally organised by four unknown activists to denounce Salvini's discourse of hatred and division drew a crowd of 15,000, surprising everybody.
- Mission: make politics 'cool' -
Since then, they have staged a series of rallies drawing tens of thousands in Milan, Florence, Naples and Palermo.
The first was against Salvini and then it became a reaffirmation of democracy: we are anti-fascist, pro-equality, against intolerance, against homophobia, Mattia Santori, one of the movement's founders, told AFP.
Santori, a researcher in economics, and the other co-founders -- Andrea Garreffa, a 34-year-old tourist guide and Roberto Morotti, a 31-year-old engineer, say they want to make politics cool.
The movement's representative in the Italian capital is Stephen Ogongo, a 45-year-old journalist of Kenyan origin.
He set up the Facebook page of the Roman chapter of the Sardines announcing the rally about 15 days ago.
The following day, there were 10,000 people who wanted to join in, he said. The next day 20,000.
- 'We are tired of hatred' -
Ahead of Saturday's rally, Ogongo said the important thing is to see many people take to the streets to say 'we are weary of this culture of hatred. We will no longer tolerate language that is racist, fascist, discriminatory or sexist'.
Ogongo received threats and insults when he got Facebook to erase racist messages from an account bearing Salvini's name with the title Prime Minister.
Salvini, he said, had allowed the worst forms of racism to flourish.
Many Sardines also rally against climate change, the mafia and poverty.
The movement is turning its attention to the small towns they say are fragile territory, susceptible to simplistic ideas and populism.
The Sardine Movement was a response to the growing strength in the north of the right-wing coalition led by Salvini's League.
In late October, the League won a historic victory in regional polls in central Umbria, which had been led by the left for half a century.
Salvini is now campaigning hard to try to capture another leftwing stronghold, the wealthy northeast region of Emilio Romagna.
Regional elections there are set for January 26 and the polls suggest the League's candidates are running neck and neck with the current centre-left governor.
Salvini has said he wants to conquer the regions one by one to bring down the current coalition between the Five Star Movement and the centre-left Democratic Party, and thus force early elections.
Elsewhere, small rallies in support of the Sardines were held in Brussels, Madrid and Bordeaux in southwestern France.
I'm here to say 'no' to fascist politicians, Angelo Pirola, 43, one of around 300 people who gathered in Madrid, told AFP.
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