Italy: Bloggers Demand Berlusconi’s Resignation

Today is ” No Berlusconi day” in Italy. A group of bloggers have organized a protest in Italy, with some international support, to demand the resignation of scandal ridden Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. Berlusconi is a growing source of embarrassment for Italy.

The No Berlusconi Day movement’s web site was launched in October by a dozen bloggers. One of the organizers, Gian Franco Macia, wrote on the site that the movement was “the first initiative of its kind totally mobilized on the internet”. The action of  noberlusconiday.org, highlight the growing impact of  bloggers and the new media on political action. When the media is controlled by  governments, like in Iran  or in Italy, where Berlusconi controls the biggest TV stations and newspapers, people seeking independent information instead of propaganda or white wash go on the internet to find them and spread them using social network sites such as Facebook or Twitter. The fan group of  noberlusconiday.org on Facebook has already more than 360,000 followers.

The goal of No Berlusconi Day is to urge the resignation of the prime minister and his government. The organizers are branching out internationally with protests also scheduled in London, Paris and Sydney. The bloggers claim that they are independent and not under the influence of any political party.

The prospect  for Berlusconi  to stay in power seems to be very thin, at this point he would be lucky not to face jail time. Berlusconi, who has been stripped of immunity, went back on trial for corruption on Friday for allegedly bribing a British lawyer to withhold evidence. Berlusconi is also on trial for tax fraud and false accounting. Meanwhile, in a unrelated Mafia case, a mobster turned informant is accusing Berlusconi to have link with the Cosa Nostra. Berlusconi is an embarrassment for Europe, Italy and an insult for the basic principles of democracy.