Amadeus to read statement on tractor protest at Sanremo Fri

(ANSA) - ROME, FEB 8 - Amadeus, the artistic director and presenter of the 2024 Sanremo Song Festival underway in the Ligurian riviera resort, will read a statement on the tractor protests at the Ariston Theatre on Friday, state broadcaster Rai said in a statement on Thursday.
    "The demands of farmers will find a voice at the Ariston despite the extreme fragmentation of the unions and associations," said the statement.
    "In the impossibility of hosting some representatives on stage, Amadeus will read a statement that will bring to the attention of the general public the problems, difficulties, and requests coming from the agricultural world," added Rai.
    The presence at Sanremo of farmers protesting over European and national agricultural policies and general hardship has been an issue of contention in recent days, with Amadeus saying he would be happy to host them and Rai denying that official contacts had been made.
    On Thursday morning a small group of farmers in tractors demonstrating under the banner of Agricultural redemption, one of the groups behind the peaceful protests underway across Italy, arrived in Sanremo and said some of their members may take the stage.
    The announcement sparked an angry response from Danilo Calvani, president of Cra Agricoltori, who said the move was political.
    (ANSA).