The rally was organized by the opposition Five Star Movement (M5S).
“From this square comes a strong and clear message: we do not want a rearmament plan that squanders 800 billion euros and pushes Europe into a war economy,” M5S leader and former prime minister Giuseppe Conte said.
Instead, Conte called for “building roads to peace” with Russia and urged investment in public healthcare and education, insisting that “the future of young people cannot lie in the armed forces.”
The protest began at Rome’s Piazza Vittorio and moved toward the historic Via dei Fori Imperiali, where a rally was held by political leaders, activists, journalists, and cultural figures.
Led by a banner reading “No to rearmament. Let’s stop them,” protesters waved rainbow peace flags and held signs criticizing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Defense Minister Guido Crosetto.
At one point, the crowd chanted, “Meloni and Crosetto, take off your helmets!”
While the protest was spearheaded by M5S, it drew wider support from across the political and civil spectrum.
Prominent among them were Green and Left Alliance leaders Nicola Fratoianni and Angelo Bonelli, both parliamentarians, as well as representatives from the National Partisans Association and Greenpeace.
A popular Neapolitan TikToker, whose online presence helped galvanize youth turnout, was also among those drawing attention at the demonstration.
The center-left Democratic Party (PD), the main opposition force, was also present, though it remains internally divided over the EU’s defense agenda.
While some PD members of the European Parliament voted in favor of the program, others opposed it.
At Saturday’s protest, PD Senate spokesperson Francesco Boccia appeared alongside other party lawmakers, though party leader Elly Schlein was notably absent. EFE
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