Crowd jeers mention of General Figliuolo at 'No Paura Day' protest.

Thousands of people showed up in the centre of Turin last night to protest against Italy's covid Green Pass which will soon be mandatory for indoor dining in restaurants and for access to cultural and sporting venues.

The 'No Paura Day' (No Fear Day) demonstration was organised in advance via social media to protest over the Green Pass and any obligation to vaccinate against covid-19, reports news agency ANSA.

Police estimated the crowd to number 2,000 but organisers say there were 5,000 people protesting in Piazza Castello, hours after premier Mario Draghi announced the new rules which take effect from 6 August.

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Chanting "Freedom, freedom," the crowd jeered when the name of General Figliuolo, Italy's emergency coronavirus commissioner, was mentioned on the stage.

The organisers of the rally belong to a group which defines itself as "non-party" and which included members of the neo-fascist Forza Nuova group who in the past have demonstrated against Italy's curfews and "health dictatorship."

Roberto Mossetto, secretary of the Turin branch of Forza Nuova, described the Green Pass as "imposing apartheid," reports newspaper Il Giornale.

Some protesters said they were vaccinated but were against it being obligatory and were not willing to have their children vaccinated, according to newspaper La Repubblica, which said the demonstrators described themselves "Free Vax" rather than "No Vax."

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One of the speakers last night was lawyer Maurizio Giordano who argued that the Green Pass "is against European law," La Repubblica reports.

Amid calls for "resistance", Giordano blamed journalists for "a great deal of disinformation and censorship," and likened the Green Pass rules to "a police state or dictatorship."

"The only solution is to behave like we did before March 2020" - said Giordano - "Behave as if the obligation did not exist. The rules are effective only if you respect them."

Details about the Green Pass can be found - in Italian - on the Certificazione Verde website while for official information about the covid-19 situation in Italy - in English - see the health ministry website.

Photo Virgilio Notizie