Italian women march for dignity and against Berlusconi

Islam Times: On Sunday, women appalled by Berlusconi and his behaviour, held demonstrations in 200 towns and cities across the country. The organisers said they were protesting at how the dignity of Italian women and the image of the country had been tainted by Berlusconi’s obsession for younger girls.

Some women carried banners reading "Italy is not a brothel", and said Mr Berlusconi had demeaned women with his recent sex scandals.In Madrid, protesters carried banners reading: “Italy says enough” and “My dignity is not for sale”.

One of the women said: “We're tired of our children living in a society of non-values, we find it really difficult to bring up our children with the values they're learning.”

“There are lots of us,"she added. “But we're not visible. The privately-owned TV channels, which belong to Berlusconi, and all but one of the (state-owned) RAI channels, manipulate the news. So people know nothing, or only half, of what is happening.”

Another woman at a protest in Milan said Italian women had “become a joke to the rest of the world” because of the allegations surrounding the Prime Minister.

According to the World Economic Forum's latest global gender gap report, Italy ranked 74th out of 134 countries surveyed — 33 places below Kazakhstan. The report also highlighted that less than half of Italian women have a job.

Education Minister Mariastella Gelmini said: “It’s just a small protest from trendy radical chics,” while another minister Daniele Santanche said: “It’s a shame there is so much hatred towards one man.”
© Islam Times