06.04.2025 01:50
In the capital of Italy, Rome, a protest was held against the 'rearmament plan' announced by the European Union (EU). During the protest, demonstrators chanted "No to rearmament."
More than 80,000 people marched in Italy to protest the European Union's rearmament plan.
Many people, called by the opposition party 5 Star Movement (M5S), marched from the busy Vittorio Emanuele Square in the capital Rome to Fori Imperiali Street.
REACTION TO THE EU'S PLAN
The demonstrators opposed the rearmament plan of Europe by saying "no" during the march. A group of protesters held a banner that read, "No to spending billions of euros on weapons."
A group of Palestinian supporters participating in the demonstration opened a banner that said "(Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu, stop" and waved a Palestinian flag, chanting "Stop the genocide."
"ARMING EUROPE IS MADNESS"
Speaking at the rally at the end of the march, M5S leader and former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said, "Today, a loud and clear 'no' is being said to the waste of 800 billion euros for the rearmament of Europe, madness."
Conte stated that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni approved the EU's rearmament plan without any authorization from parliament, saying, "This is another failure of the government that will go down in history."
The M5S leader said that the alternative they are building today is centered around "no" to rearmament and "yes" to allocating resources for health and education. Conte chanted "No to rearmament" together with the demonstrators.
According to M5S sources, more than 80,000 people participated in the march against the EU's rearmament plan.
WHAT HAPPENED?
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated on March 4 that Europe needs to take more responsibility for its security, announcing that the rearmament plan they prepared could mobilize approximately 800 billion euros in defense spending.