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Protests in Italy against Covid health pass

Protests were held in several Italian cities on Saturday against the introduction of new measures requiring proof of coronavirus status at many indoor venues.

Protests in Italy against Covid health pass
Members of the 'No Vax' movement take part in a demonstration against the introduction of a mandatory green pass at the Piazza del Popolo in central Rome on August 7th, 2021. Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP

More than 1,000 people gathered in Piazza del Popolo in central Rome shouting “No Green Pass!” and “Freedom!”.

Thousands more marched in Milan, with some comparing themselves to holocaust victims by wearing Star of David badges, like those worn by Jews in Nazi-era Germany, with the words “not vaccinated”, the ANSA news agency reported.

A member of the ‘No Vax’ movement holds up a banner reading “Grrrreeen No Pass! We are free women and men!”. (Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP)

Around 100 people from the “No Vax” movement also gathered in Naples, objecting in particular to vaccinations for children, shouting “Hands off the children” and “Shame! Shame!”.

The green pass health certificate became compulsory in Italy on Friday to enter cinemas, museums and indoor sports venues or to eat indoors at restaurants.

Members of the ‘No Vax’ movement with banners at the demonstration in Rome’s Piazza del Popolo. (Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP)

The green pass proves bearers have either been vaccinated with at least one dose, have recovered from Covid-19 within the past six months, or have tested negative in the previous 48 hours.

READ ALSO:  How big is Italy’s anti-vax movement really?

One of the posters at the ‘No Vax’ movement demonstration in central Rome on August 7th, 2021. (Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP)

There have already been pockets of protests against the measure in recent weeks, though on a smaller scale than expected.

School and university staff will need the pass, as will university students, while from September 1st it will be required on domestic flights and long-distance trains.

It is the latest tool used to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, which has left more than 128,000 people dead in Italy and last year brought the economy to a shuddering halt.

A successful vaccination campaign has helped turn the tide in recent months, with more than 63 percent of the population over the age of 12 now fully jabbed.

However, the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant is causing concern, with almost 7,000 new cases reported on Saturday.

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PROTESTS

Calls for special police tactics to be available across Sweden

The chairwoman of the Police Association West Region has said that police special tactics, known as Särskild polistaktik or SPT, should be available across Sweden, to use in demonstrations similar to those during the Easter weekend.

Calls for special police tactics to be available across Sweden

SPT, (Särskild polistaktik), is a tactic where the police work with communication rather than physical measures to reduce the risk of conflicts during events like demonstrations.

Tactics include knowledge about how social movements function and how crowds act, as well as understanding how individuals and groups act in a given situation. Police may attempt to engage in collaboration and trust building, which they are specially trained to do.

Katharina von Sydow, chairwoman of the Police Association West Region, told Swedish Radio P4 West that the concept should exist throughout the country.

“We have nothing to defend ourselves within 10 to 15 metres. We need tools to stop this type of violent riot without doing too much damage,” she said.

SPT is used in the West region, the South region and in Stockholm, which doesn’t cover all the places where the Easter weekend riots took place.

In the wake of the riots, police unions and the police’s chief safety representative had a meeting with the National Police Chief, Anders Tornberg, and demanded an evaluation of the police’s work. Katharina von Sydow now hopes that the tactics will be introduced everywhere.

“This concept must exist throughout the country”, she said.

During the Easter weekend around 200 people were involved in riots after a planned demonstration by anti-Muslim Danish politician Rasmus Paludan and his party Stram Kurs (Hard Line), that included the burning of the Muslim holy book, the Koran.

Police revealed on Friday that at least 104 officers were injured in counter-demonstrations that they say were hijacked by criminal gangs intent on targeting the police. 

Forty people were arrested and police are continuing to investigate the violent riots for which they admitted they were unprepared. 

Paludan’s application for another demonstration this weekend was rejected by police.

In Norway on Saturday, police used tear gas against several people during a Koran-burning demonstration after hundreds of counter-demonstrators clashed with police in the town of Sandefjord.

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