Hundreds of posters in defense of Russia have appeared in Italy: A diplomatic scandal has broken out
A diplomatic scandal is gaining momentum in Italy: hundreds of billboards with the words "Russia is not our enemy" and a demand to stop supporting Ukraine have appeared in several cities across the country. The Ukrainian Embassy in Rome reacted to this, and diplomats called on the Italian authorities to put an end to the campaign to rehabilitate the image of the aggressor state.
This is stated in the CNN publication. The Sovranita Popolare group, which allegedly "advocates peace," took responsibility for the campaign.
A pro-Russian billboard in Piazza Mazzini in Rome on September 13, 2024.
Source: CNN
Since June, banners depicting a handshake between two hands colored in the colors of the flags of Italy and Russia have been appearing in various Italian cities. The posters also contain slogans such as "Russia is not our enemy" and calls to stop allocating money for military aid to Ukraine and Israel.
As of September, the number of such banners was already in the hundreds.
The Ukrainian Embassy in Rome responded to the campaign.
"We are deeply concerned about the brazenness of Russian propaganda in the Eternal City. We ask the city authorities of Rome to reconsider the permission for such posters, which have a clear goal of rehabilitating the image of the aggressor state," the diplomats called.
Tweet of the Embassy of Ukraine
Source: screenshot
Photo from a tweet by the Ukrainian embassy
Source: screenshot
The reaction to the call varied from city to city in Italy. In some cities, the banners were taken down by the city authorities, while in others they were left up until the end of the lease of the advertising space.
The Sovranita Popolare group, which allegedly "stands for peace," took responsibility for the campaign. According to CNN, these "peacekeepers" accuse European politicians, and the Italian government in particular, of having unreasonably intimidated Italian citizens with a possible Russian attack on Europe in the future after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
"Italian warmongers have been inciting Russophobia, hatred of the Russian people, culture, and art for two years," the "peacekeepers" note, who are much more interested in the aforementioned "culture and art" than in the destruction, destroyed cities, thousands of killed Ukrainians and millions of refugees caused by the same "Russian people" for whom the "activists" are so worried.
However, it will hardly take long to find out where the Russophile campaign in Italy has its roots: a few weeks ago, almost identical banners appeared in Donetsk, occupied by Ukraine since 2014, as reported by activists of the Yellow Ribbon movement. They depict the same handshake, though the "residents of Donetsk" for some reason decided to inform the world that they do not consider Italians to be enemies.
Banner in Donetsk
Source: "Yellow Ribbon"
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