While the legacy media would have us believe that Italians are welcoming being locked in their own homes and singing patriotic songs from their balconies in solidarity, things are rapidly deteriorating on the ground.
Certainly, in the first week of lockdown, it might have seemed all fun and games and a free holiday for Italians. But the singing and buonumore soon turned ugly, as Italians came to grips with the realities of what it means to be instantly unemployed for the foreseeable future.
There are widespread reports of unrest in Italy as patience with the Coronavirus lockdown runs out, with people having run out of food and money.
It’s not all chianti and impromptu DJing on the balcony any more.
Videos are appearing on social media of people struggling to cope with the effects of the lockdown. In Palermo, Sicily, police have been forced to head to supermarkets after reports of people stealing food to feed themselves, and groups have appeared in recent days looking to organise raids on supermarkets.
A video has been widely shared around Italy showing a father beside his young daughter, who is eating a solitary slice of bread, telling the Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte “We’ve already been inside for 15 to 20 days and we are at our limit. Just like my daughter, other children in a few days won’t be able to eat this slice of bread. Rest assured you will regret this, because we are going to have a revolution”.
The technocrats, whose jobs and salaries are conveniently un-threatened by lockdown, are airily dismissing such concerns.
The lockdown is expected to be extended, with Education Minister Lucia Azzolina having already said the closure of schools and universities, which began on March 5, would have to be extended past April 3[…]Michele Emiliano, governor of the southern Puglia region, downplayed played fears of civil unrest in the south but said the lockdown may have to be extended until mid-May.
Meanwhile, the rumbles of discontent are growing louder.
The mayor of Palermo, Leoluca Orlando, in comments to Sky News, said the levels of unhappiness in the population were growing, and officials are recording distressing reports of protest and anger. The fear is that these will exploited by criminals who want to “destabilise the system”. “The more time passes, the more resources are exhausted. The few savings people have are running out. This tells us socio-economic issues will erupt,” said the mayor.
An example of this can be seen in video footage from Apulia of a man shouting at police to help, after his local bank closed and he was unable to withdraw his mother’s pension, the family’s only income. In the video he can be seen telling the officers that they have no money, and they have no food at home.
In particular, the poorer south of the country is seething with anger at being punished for the foolishness of authorities in the north. Northern Italy is one of the areas hardest-hit by the virus in the world, a problem which has been compounded by poor, often incredibly stupid, political leadership.
If you enjoyed this BFD article please consider sharing it with your friends.