(ANSA) - ROME, SEP 23 - Thousands of mostly young people took
to the streets of 70 Italian cities on Friday to demand action
to tackle the environmental crisis as part of the Fridays for
Future Movement's global climate strike.
Friday is also the last day of campaigning for Sunday's general
election in Italy. Fridays For Future Italia (FFF Italia) said
the climate crisis has been largely ignored during the election
campaign even though, with extreme weather events such as last
week's deadly storms in Marche following months of drought that
wreaked havoc on the country's agriculture, the effects of the
emergency are being felt here in a big way.
"Today we are taking to the streets to bring the climate issue
back to the centre of public debate," said Filippo Sotgiu, a
mathematics student and FFF Italia climate activist.
"It has been absent during the election campaign despite the
climate disasters of recent months, the drought, the Marmolada
(glacier avalanche in which 11 people died), the Marche floods,
and despite the fact that the solutions for the ecological
transition are the same as those needed to address the effects
of the energy crisis".
The atmosphere at the marches was festive, with loud music,
dancing, chanting and lots of funny slogans.
"We can't recycle wasted time," read one.
"No planet, no pesto" declared one at the Genoa march.
Although the majority of the protesters were young people, there
were also many teachers, parents and other representatives of
older generations.
"I'm here because I'm a citizen of the Earth," Mariangela Isaia,
an elementary school teacher and member of the Parents for
Future (PFF) movement, told ANSA.
"This protest is taking place in 70 Italian cities and many
countries around the world.
"The climate is going berserk, but we are all just thinking of
our own interests and about saving ourselves.
"But no one can save themselves on their own.
"So I feel that I'm a citizen of the world and I want the impact
of this global strike to go beyond Italy and beyond Europe and
to reach extra-EU countries, as they are the ones that are
suffering the tragedies of the climate crisis the worst
"We mustn''t have any more of leaders saying there's nothing we
can do.
"Those who feel they can't do anything should get out". (ANSA).
Fridays for Future demand climate action in Italy's cities
Emergency has been ignored during election campaign - activists
![(foto: ANSA)](/webimages/img_457x/2022/9/23/35c9e35488d1fe3157dc1fbf6fc6c1d3.jpg)