Organizers of a big Rome march staged
on Saturday to protest against the government's controversial
'security bill' said that around 50,000 people took part.
The package has come under fire from many quarters for, among
other things, allegedly undermining the right to peaceful
protest.
The bill makes it a criminal offence to block roads and
railways, with people found guilty facing up to two years in
jail.
The move has been viewed as targetting climate protesters, who
have frequently blocked roads in attempts to draw attention to
the need to address global heating.
Up to now such protests were punished by an administrative
sanction such as a fine.
This comes after the government increased penalties in a
previous measure for protests targetting works of art and
monuments, with fines of up to 60,000 euros, after the Last
Generation (UG) climate group staged a series of stunts spraying
colourful substances over several famous ones.
"Many, many people are on the streets to protest against a bill
of fear, against the Right that aims to erase the right of
freedom and the right to dissent," said Nicola Fratoianni of the
Green-Left Alliance (AVS).
These package also includes measures to protect police who are
subject to acts of violence, a new crime to punish people who
organize and-or participate in prison revolts, faster procedures
to liberate illegally occupied buildings and stiffer penalties
for criminals who scam the elderly.
It clamps down of forms of 'passive resistance' to orders, such
as hunger strikes, and makes it a felony for businesses to sell
sim cards to people who do not have ID documents and a residence
permit.
It scraps an exemption on pregnant women and women with children
under one-year-old going to prison, a measure seen as targetting
pickpockets on public transport.
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