Around 50 agricultural and livestock
farmers from the Alessandria-Asti autonomous farmers' collective
headed to the Ligurian riviera resort of Sanremo on Friday for
an authorised rally in the afternoon.
In a statement the farmers said that the message that will be
read out from the stage of the Ariston Theatre during the
Sanremo Song Festival on Friday evening "has been drawn up with
and signed by the group Agricultural Redemption from Melegnano
(Milan)".
"Roughly 20 tractors from Mondovì (in the Piemonte province of
Cuneo, ed.) are also present at the Sanremo garrison," the
statement added.
On Thursday morning seven tractors representing Agricultural
Redemption arrived in Sanremo from Melegnano amid hopes that the
farmers would be allowed on stage.
However state broadcaster Rai later said it was "impossible" and
that the festival's artistic director and host Amadeus would
read a statement instead.
Farmers up and down the country are protesting over European and
Italian agricultural and environmental policies and general
hardship in the sector.
The movement is fragmented, however.
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