ITALY: Sardines movement captures imaginations

Italy’s Sardines movement, which first mobilised in late 2019 to take a public stance against the right-wing populist League Party, complied with pandemic restrictions and so chose not to hold mass gatherings. This was a challenge because the movement’s tactic had been to encourage people to cram themselves, like sardines, into public squares to make the highly visible point that it is not just far-right politicians who can mobilise popular support. The movement did so ahead of the January 2020 regional election for the legislative assembly of the Emilia-Romagna region, which centres around the city of Bologna. But as the pandemic gripped Italy, the Sardines had to find alternative approaches to keep pushing back against far-right forces.