Main image: A pro-Russia billboard on Rome's Piazza Mazzini on September 13, 2024. Barbie Nadeau/CNN
In the summer, hundreds of billboards appeared across Italy featuring slogans suggesting that Russia is not an enemy, accompanied by an image of a handshake in the colors of the Russian and Italian flags. Some billboards seen in Rome this week called for an end to the funding of weapons for Ukraine, according to CNN.
The billboard campaign was organized by the group Sovranita Popolare, which reported that the posters first appeared in northern Italian cities in June. They were also spotted in Verona, Modena, Parma, Pisa, and southern regions such as Calabria. Funding for these billboards was provided by associations that had previously opposed COVID-19 restrictions.
The Ukrainian embassy in Italy expressed discontent with the appearance of these billboards, calling them Russian propaganda. The Ukrainian side urged the authorities in Rome to reconsider the permission for such advertising materials, which they believe aim to improve the aggressor's image.
Local authorities in various regions responded differently to the billboards: in some places, they were removed, while in others, they were left up until the end of the paid display period. In Rome, the billboards caused outrage among city officials because they featured the city's name and symbols. As a result, the police instructed that the billboards be taken down.
The advertising company that owns the billboards in Rome did not provide comments, although one of the billboards remained at a central intersection in the city even after the order for its removal.
Sovranita Popolare published an article explaining their actions, citing Article 11 of the Italian Constitution, which rejects war as a means of aggression. The group also accused Italian politicians and media of deliberately spreading fear of Russia after the start of the war in Ukraine, "inciting Russophobia."
Italian legislation does not require local authorities to approve billboard content, but advertisers must comply with rules prohibiting the promotion of extremist ideologies.
