ROME • A grassroots movement protesting against the populism of far-right Italian leader Matteo Salvini demonstrated its surging strength over the weekend, drawing tens of thousands of people to a vast square in Rome in its first national rally.
The Sardines movement, named for its ability to pack piazzas, reflects a general disgust among many liberal Italians over Mr Salvini's anti-migrant and anti-European language.
"Something has already changed in the Italian political panorama," said Mr Mattia Santori, 32, one of the movement's founders. He said its chief aim was to combat apathy and to offer equality, respect for the Constitution and stronger institutions as a way to counter hate and Mr Salvini's essential themes - opposition to immigration, antagonism towards Europe and heightened security.
The Sardines were inspired to organise by Mr Salvini's campaign vow to "liberate" the liberal stronghold of Emilia Romagna in regional elections next month.
They fear that if Mr Salvini can win there, he can win anywhere.
Italians packed St John at the Lateran Square last Saturday, holding signs that read "Humanity and Respect" and "Indifference, the Dark Side of Humanity". Some carried European Union flags.
The peaceful, respectful tone of the rallies has made it hard for Mr Salvini to deride them with his usual characterisations - as hard-left or elitist elements far removed from the Italian mainstream.
And as the Sardines movement has grown, it has built a metric of support that Mr Salvini's operation pays attention to: Mr Santori's Facebook page support has ballooned to more than 200,000 followers.
Mr Santori said the left's communication style was outdated because no one wants to listen to hour-long speeches, especially when Mr Salvini's social media operation - called The Beast - pumps out tweets, Facebook Live posts and videos for the TikTok app.
"There are people who think you can beat Mr Salvini's Beast with political rallies from the 1990s. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way," he said. "We have to propose an alternative that is, in some way, cool."
Mr Salvini at first mocked the group, tweeting that he liked kittens more because "they eat sardines when hungry", then shifted to criticising its lack of proposals.
But he later expressed appreciation for its democratic impulse, saying: "The more people participate, the better."
The Sardines deny any political affiliation and say they want only to register their opposition to populist forces gaining strength after a decade of economic stagnation.
Mr Santori said last Saturday that 99 per cent of the group's sympathisers did not want the Sardines to become a party. "We don't want to replace political movements."
Italy's ruling Five Star Movement was born out of a street protest in Bologna in 2007. It triumphed in last year's national election but support has dropped sharply since.
NYTIMES, REUTERS
