It’s all very well talking about squares

In the squares across Italy, protesting against the government, it is not just students and activists. There are also sections of a different world – one we would once have called ‘productive’ – who have always regarded the centre-right as a natural partner. There are the lorry drivers. Alongside them are the farmers. And then there are the olive growers from Puglia, the dairy farmers who have poured milk onto the tarmac, and the Sardinian shepherds grappling with ever-rising feed and fuel costs. There are the fishermen, who are announcing a fishing ban and calling for aid to enable them to continue going out to sea. There are the taxi drivers – another group traditionally listened to by the right – who have called a demonstration for 26 October outside the Ministry of the Economy to protest against fuel prices. Independent petrol station operators are protesting, denouncing conditions that put them at a disadvantage compared to the major companies. Shopkeepers in Cerignola are protesting too, having lowered their shutters to join the mobilisation. Artisans are making their voices heard, concerned about energy costs. The issue is clear: none of these groups votes unanimously for the right. And so, whilst the public debate focuses on the ‘maranza’, it is lorry drivers, farmers, fishermen, taxi drivers and shopkeepers who are demanding answers from the government – even resorting to unacceptable methods, such as picket lines. The protest is not coming solely from the social peripheries: it is also coming from the trades and regions that the right wing considers its own backyard. This is an interesting political development, no less significant than the famous aggressive youths in the squares of Italy’s major cities.

What you have just read is an extract from editor-in-chief Claudio Cerasa’s newsletter, La Situa. You can subscribe here – it’s simple and free.