ROME (AP) – Thousands of protesters marched down Rome’s famous Via Veneto and other streets on Saturday, some breaking into union offices and clashing with police, in a protest against Italy’s new “Vede Pass,” a requirement of vaccinations for employees to enter their offices.
The certification will be mandatory as of October 15 and will apply to public and private work sites. Both employees and employers can be fined if they do not comply with the requirement. Public sector employees can be suspended if they report to work five times without a Green Pass. The pass is already required in Italy to enter museums, theaters, gyms and restaurants, as well as long-distance trips on trains and buses or on domestic flights.
The passes show that a person has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine or has recovered from the virus in the last six months or has tested negative in the last 48 hours.
The protesters first staged an authorized noisy protest in Rome’s Piazza Del Poppolo. They then left the square and clashed with police officers as they advanced through Villa Borghese Park and Via Veneto, in an unauthorized march.
Hundreds of them broke away from the group and headed down another street in the Roman historic district that concludes near Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s office at Chigi Palace. Police lined up, assisted by vans, and used water to prevent access to the Italian government headquarters.
The police tried to beat some protesters with batons, many of whom raised their arms to indicate non-violence as they confronted the police in the front lines outside the Chigi Palace. Others raised their fists and waved Italian flags while shouting “Freedom!”
