Italian Business Owners On Strike To Demand Comprehensive Support From Government

Italian entrepreneurs on Thursday held a demonstration in Piazza del Popolo, one of the central squares in Rome, to voice their demands of the government to ensure that coronavirus-related restrictions are reasonable and provide comprehensive support to businesses, a Sputnik correspondent reported

ROME (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th April, 2021) Italian entrepreneurs on Thursday held a demonstration in Piazza del Popolo, one of the central squares in Rome, to voice their demands of the government to ensure that coronavirus-related restrictions are reasonable and provide comprehensive support to businesses, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

The rally gathered some 200 members of the Autonomi e Partite IVA (Autonomous companies and private entrepreneurs) union, who traveled from several Italian provinces, including Abruzzo, Tuscany, Lombardy, and others. Protesters told Sputnik that they were seeking to "offer, not just protest."

"We gathered not for the sake of having the measures lifted, but to demand compensation for those who suffered from the lockdown, so that they can resume their activities," Lamberto Mattei, the union's administrative secretary, said.

He specified that the demonstration attracted the representatives of various occupations, including entrepreneurs, restaurateurs, merchants and individual specialists, who claimed that the Italian economy needed a more comprehensive approach rather than the current targeted measures.

According to another leading representative, Aleandro Carminati, the participants of the rally were not in favor of the immediate lifting of the measures, unlike those who previously protested in other major Italian cities.

"This is not our case. We believe that businesses that have ensured all possible precautions can get started, but at the same time with an awareness of all possible consequences," Carminati said.

The demonstration was held in compliance with social distancing rules. The participants held flags depicting the Italian tricolor, banners, and posters saying "Forgotten, yet with taxes", "Do not die of hunger, but open safely" and with excerpts from the Italian constitution. The peaceful event was held under the supervision of the police and lasted about an hour.

Earlier this week, people in major Italian cities, including Rome and Milan, took to the streets to protest stringent rules, as most business owners suffered huge financial losses. Italians fear that all dining places and shops across the country will remain closed even after the three-day Easter lockdown, during which citizens were banned from leaving their homes for any reasons other than an emergency, grocery shopping, or health issues.