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Protests rocked Italy on Saturday after tens of thousands of Italians took to the streets in Milan and Rome to express dissatisfaction over the country’s decision to send Ukraine its sixth weapons injection since the Russian invasion.
The protesters called for immediate negotiations for a peaceful resolution, and some chanted, “No to war, no to sending weapons!”
One man held a banner that read: “More arms for hugs, no more wars!”
TeleSUR English reported that the protesters were made up of student groups, various cultural associations, and trade unions.
“The weapons were sent at the beginning on the grounds that this would prevent an escalation,” one protester told The AFP. “Nine months later and it seems to me that there’s been an escalation. Look at the facts: sending weapons does not help stop a war, weapons help fuel a war.”
These protesters also said the funding sent to Ukraine would benefit Italians who, like most of Europe, are facing surging inflation and energy prices.
Giorgia Meloni, the newly elected prime minister, announced a $9.4 billion package to help businesses and families to absorb some of the energy costs, which came in 73.2 percent higher last month than the previous year. Rome is considered vulnerable to energy prices because 75 percent of its consumption is imported.
Russia used to provide Italy with 40 percent of its natural gas. Last month, its inflation rate hit 11.9 percent, which is the highest level since 1984.
Just a day before the protest, Meloni told Jens Stoltenberg, the head of NATO, that it was important for Europe to remain united in the face of Russian aggression, and the alliance can count on Italy’s “strong commitment.”
“The political cohesion of the alliance and our full commitment to supporting the Ukrainian cause are, from our point of view, the best response that NATO allies can give,” she said.
TRENDPOST: Meloni’s position should come as no surprise to The Trends Journal subscribers. (See “PRO-PUTIN SPEAKER IS ELECTED IN ITALY JUST WEEKS AFTER MELONI ELECTION WIN” and “ITALY’S MELONI WINS BIG IN ELECTIONS, EU ISSUES WARNING.”)
Meloni has spoken out against the EU but, at least up until now, has shown a willingness to continue Mario Draghi’s position on Ukrainian support. But Meloni’s government is fragile and there are significant voices that have not only expressed dismay over the sanctions, but have outwardly supported Russia.
Giuseppe Conte, the former Italian prime minister and member of the government opposition, said Rome should be pushing for negotiations instead of weapons transfers.
“We need a breakthrough toward a ceasefire and peace negotiations,” he said. He said no more arms would be sent without a vote in parliament.
Protests Break Out in Poland
Tens of thousands of protesters marched in Warsaw on Friday to mark Poland’s independence day and some attendees expressed concerns about Ukrainian immigration and chanted anti-EU slogans.
The march was organized by nationalist groups in the country. Rafal Trzaskowski, the city’s mayor, who has tried to get law enforcement to ban the march, noted that it was relatively peaceful, with only a few minor incidents.
He said he was troubled by the “anti-Ukrainian” and “anti-EU” slogans. Some banners read, “Stop the Ukrainization of Poland.” (See “UKRAINIANS SWARMING EUROPE.”) We noted that the UN said that there are already about 7.7 million Ukrainian refugees spread out across Europe. About 1 million are believed to be in Germany and 1.4 million in Poland.
NOTE TO READERS: The message in the media is clear: when news outlets want to disparage protesters or any movement, Presstitutes label these participants as “far-right” or “militants.”
Robert Bakiewicz, the main organizer of the event, said local media downplayed the participation and the actual number was about 100,000 people.
Poland sees Russia as a major threat and has been one of the most vocal supporters of Ukraine throughout the conflict. The Guardian noted that Russia and Poland have gone to war more than a dozen times in the past 600 years, so there is “little love lost between them.”
Anna Gromada, a social scientist and co-founder of a Polish think tank, and Krzysztof Zeniuk, an economist, wrote in the paper that the U.S. is “pumping money” into eastern Europe to counter China. These Baltic countries have expressed a willingness to shun Beijing in favor of Washington that “expects influence” over these countries and them to offer a “clear stance on China.”
Anti-Government Protests Break Out in Moldova
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Chisinau on Sunday to lash out against the government over soaring energy prices and inflation—and called for Maia Sandu, the pro-Western president, to step down.
These protests were sparked by Ilan Shor, the leader of the populist Shor Party who has been living in exile in Israel over a 2017 over the theft of $1 billion from three Moldovan banks in 2014, according to The Associated Press.
Radio Free Europe reported that Shor is believed to have close ties to the Kremlin and “is alleged to be on the payroll of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), which is eager to stir up unrest in Moldova.”
Sandu, the country’s president, said the Kremlin’s move to cut gas supplies is tantamount to “political blackmail,” and is using the energy crunch to “cynically exploit people’s hardships and the discontent…(to) generate chaos and turn us back from our European path.”
TREND FORECAST: Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the EU Commission, made an official visit to Moldova, and promised 250 million euros to help the country of over 2 million get through the energy crisis. She called the country “part of our European family.”
“And family must stick together when the times are getting tough,” she said.
The West will not allow Moldova to inch into Russia’s embrace and will, no doubt, pull a Victoria Nuland to keep that from happening.
The protesters called for an early election.