200,000 in Rome in solidarity with immigrants

Denouncing a viciously racist antiimmigrant law passed by the government of scandal-ridden billionaire media magnate Silvio Berlusconi, as many as 200,000 people marched from the Piazza della Repubblica to the Roman forum on Oct. 17. The CGIL labor confederation played a major role in the march along with immigrants from Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East and South Asia.

The new law fines immigrants between 5,000 and 10,000 euros (7,400 to 14,900 dollars) for entering or living in Italy without legal papers and makes this act a criminal offense. People who rent or provide housing to undocumented immigrants can be jailed for up to three years.

This provocation awoke a strong reaction.  Like the Sensenbrenner Bill that was rejected in 2006 after a massive May Day turnout in the U.S., the Italian law aroused a furious opposition and led to a massive turnout in what has become, since 1989, an annual anti-racist protest in Italy. The demonstrators also raised slogans against the oppression of lesbian, gay, bi and trans people, and against the racist attacks directed at immigrants and Roma people