A growing number of Italians are calling for the government to resign protesting it’s handling of the coronavirus, which they now claim does not exist.
The group, which calls itself the “Orange Vests” or or “Gilet Arancioni.” is a grassroots, anti-government, populist movement.
On Tuesday, the group marched in Rome chanting “Liberta’!” (“Liberty!”) to protest the government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis and calling for it to resign.
The leader of the Orange Vests, former Carabinieri Gen. Antonio Pappalardo, has said that the coronavirus pandemic did not exist.
“The pandemic does not exist, it’s total bulls—,”
Pappalardo told a rally in Bari on Sunday, Italian news agency ANSA reported.
“The coronavirus is not lethal, it only kills the already sick over 80s. Enough with the lies and falsehoods, you have terrified the Italian people,”
He added.
Similar demonstrations were seen in Milan and small rallies in other regional capitals at the weekend.
The virus has infected more than 200,000 people in Italy with close to 35,000 confirmed deaths.