http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article7044658.ece
Purple protesters take to the streets against Silvio Berlusconi
(Guido Montani/EPA)
Protesters in prison garb accuse Silvio Berlusconi of undermining democracy
Richard Owen, Rome
Tens of thousands of protesters calling themselves the Purple People took to the streets of Rome at the weekend in a sign of mounting opposition to the Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi.
The group, Il Popolo Viola, wore purple sweaters and scarves, Berlusconi masks or striped prison dress to protest against what they say is the undermining of Italian democracy by Mr Berlusconi in his battle with the country’s legal system.
They vowed to stage further demonstrations before key regional elections at the end of the month.
Mr Berlusconi, 73, has repeatedly attacked magistrates and judges as “politically biased” and “subversive”. Last week he compared them to the Taleban. He is trying to push through new laws to annul trials against him for corruption and restore his immunity from prosecution, overturned last October as unconstitutional.
The National Association of Magistrates condemned the Prime Minister’s latest outburst as “an intolerable escalation of insults and aggression”. President Napolitano called on Mr Berlusconi to tone down “very serious accusations” that were fuelling “dangerous tensions between Italy’s institutions”.
The “purple protests” began spontaneously last year, with demonstrators using Facebook, blogs and Twitter to organise “No Berlusconi Day” rallies calling for the Prime Minister’s resignation. Organisers said that they had chosen purple not only because it was the colour of mourning in Italy but also because it represented “energy and self-determination”, and was not used by any established party. The group also protested against Mr Berlusconi’s control of the media and his attempts last year to put up showgirls and models as candidates in local and European elections. The protests have since been endorsed by opposition parties.
At the weekend, judges in Milan refused to annul a trial in which Mr Berlusconi is accused of bribing David Mills, his former British tax lawyer and the estranged husband of Tessa Jowell, the Olympics Minister, although the case against Mr Mills was thrown out last week because the statute of limitations had expired. Mr Berlusconi is accused of paying Mr Mills to lie on his behalf during corruption trials in the 1990s.
The judges adjourned Mr Berlusconi’s trial until March 26, two days before the regional vote.
It emerged yesterday that Giovanna Del Giudice, a former nightclub hostess in Sardinia and one-time weather girl on one of Mr Berlusconi’s television channels, would stand as a candidate for his party in the elections.
Another candidate is Nicole Minetti , a showgirl turned dental hygienist, who tended to Mr Berlusconi after he was attacked in December.
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