ITALY: The leader of Italy's Five-Star Movement, Beppe Grillo, holds his closing rally in a central Roman piazza ahead of EU elections

Record ID: 214690

  • Title: ITALY: The leader of Italy's Five-Star Movement, Beppe Grillo, holds his closing rally in a central Roman piazza ahead of EU elections
  • Date: 23rd May 2014
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) FIVE STAR MOVEMENT SUPPORTER, PAOLO LANDORI, SAYING: "Because it's a movement that starts from the bottom, it's no longer something imposed from above. It is us deciding and trying to do something for the good as common good. Such beautiful words; common good." (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) FIVE STAR MOVEMENT SUPPORTER, STEFANIA MUGAVERO, SAYING: "The Five-S
  • Embargoed: 7th June 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Italy
  • Country: Italy
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAAM59EOTP3Q6YYR9FH0JU75YEP
  • Story Text: Comic-turned-politician Beppe Grillo drew tens of thousands to a rally in central Rome on Friday (May 23), underscoring the potential of his anti-establishment Five-Star Movement to surprise at this weekend's European vote as it did in the national election last year.
    Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has a lot riding on the European parliament vote, the first nationwide election he has faced since taking power in a party coup in February.
    It will test the 39-year-old Renzi's political legitimacy as head of the right-left governing coalition and his ability to meet the challenge posed by Grillo's appeal to an angry electorate disillusioned by recession, unemployment and political corruption.
    Grillo told the huge crowds the result of Sunday's (May 25) election would once again come as a surprise to the established parties.

    "They said 'Grillini, Grillini, they will disappear quickly, they are just a protest vote' but then they realised we are still here. They were surprised, they are always surprised like the first time we materialised with our first V-Day and they asked 'where did all these people come from', they were surprised when in February we collected all the signatures necessary to run in the elections and then scored our first 25 percent. 'How did they do it?' they asked surprised. You'll see how surprised they'll be on May 26. It's fantastic," he said.
    There have not yet been official estimates of the turnout to Grillo's rally.
    The 65-year-old Grillo closed out his campaign for the national vote in the same square last year, and went onto to stun by winning more than 25 percent of the vote, 10 percentage points more than polls had suggested only two weeks earlier.
    Shouting himself hoarse with obscenity-laced insults at a discredited political class, winning roars of approval from large crowds, Grillo called for Italy to hold a referendum on whether to exit from the euro.
    He also entertained the supporters with jokes on Germany and former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, serving a tax fraud sentence doing community service at an old peoples' home, who has compared Grillo to Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini and other dangerous dictators who came to power promising revolution in tough economic times.

    "We will go to the European Parliament and we'll open it up as if it was a can of Wurstel. And now, allow me to make a joke for Berlusconi. (Imitates Mussolini) 'Italians!'" Grillo joked.

    "We will re-negotiate everything and if they will not agree we will hold a referendum after the elections. It doesn't matter if it's valid, illegal or unconstitutional. We will inform millions of Italians and the Italians will decide whether to stay in or out of the euro, it will be the people deciding for their own sovereignty be it monetary, economic or cultural," Grillo said.
    Recently, a corruption scandal in Milan involving politicians linked to both the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) and Berlusconi's centre-right Forza Italia and two separate mafia-related cases involving two of Berlusconi's closest associates have given Grillo extra impetus.
    Supporters at the rally said many Italians were fed up with the traditional parties and seeing a ray of hope in Grillo, would vote for the Five-Star Movement.

    "Because it's a movement that starts from the bottom, it's no longer something imposed from above. It is us deciding and trying to do something for the good as common good. Such beautiful words; common good," said Paolo Landori.

    "The Five-Star Movement because it is a protest vote against corruption. It is a vote for revolution, a vote for hope, for us and those who will come because I think there are honest people in Italy who have the right to represent us," Stefania Mugavero said.

    "I don't see a future with the parties that have the mafia within them, I don't feel represented by them. The only real and honest vote that I can cast is a vote for the Five-Star Movement," added Maurizio Micucci.
    The last opinion polls before the pre-election blackout showed Renzi's PD had a healthy lead of as many as 10 percentage points over 5-Star, while Berlusconi's Forza Italia even further behind.
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