This archive report was first published on 30 November 2019.
On November 30, 2019, tens of thousands of protesters in Italy marched against the far-right leader Matteo Salvini, who served as interior minister and deputy prime minister in the previous coalition government with the Five Star Movement.
Students, young professionals, and families with children joined the march, where the carrying of political banners was discouraged.
Instead, protesters brandished placards in the shape of a sardine, a symbol of protest against Salvini's politics.
"No banners, we don't want symbols at such a beautiful gathering," one of the organisers, Danilo Magli, told the crowd.
"We are tired of hate, we are not fighting amongst ourselves," he added.
The Sardine Movement was founded on November 14 by four young activists from the northern city of Bologna in response to the growing strength of the right-wing coalition led by the League.
The League won a historic victory in regional polls in central Umbria in late October, which had been led by the left for half a century.
