Demonstrations against the bridge, the reasons behind the "No" vote

The first demonstration by the No Ponte movement, which opposes the construction of the Messina Strait Bridge, was held since the CIPESS (Italian Committee for the Prevention of Trafficking) approved the final design for the major project promoted by Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini . In the Sicilian city itself, protesters accused the government of neglecting the needs of the local area.

Minister Salvini immediately responded to the accusations in a long interview with Corriere della Sera , in which he defended the reasons that led the executive to the decision to build the major project.

The first demonstration against the new bridge over the Strait of Messina

Yesterday, August 9th, the first major demonstration against the new Strait of Messina Bridge project took place in Messina . Residents marched through the streets of the Sicilian city, under the banner of the No Ponte movement, which opposes the government's planned construction of the nearly €14 billion project.

This is an important step for this movement, which gathered in the square for the first time since the Strait of Messina Bridge project received approval from CIPESS , the inter-ministerial committee for economic planning and sustainable development.

The No Ponte movement is similar to many other similar movements that oppose the construction of major projects in a given area. In technical jargon, these movements all fall into the category of NIMBY , an acronym for "Not in my back yard."

The motivations of the No Ponte movement

Some members of the movement, gathered in Messina, expressed their opposition to the bridge's construction. Federico Alagna , of the No Ponte assembly in Messina, told the newspaper Il Manifesto :

We are here to reiterate to Salvini that this territory is not a colony , and we will not accept yet another decision imposed from above. No one in the government has even bothered to ask what this territory really needs. I hope the strong response from the streets will help them understand what the residents of the Strait of Messina really think.

The main argument against the bridge's construction remains its necessity compared to other, smaller infrastructure projects, deemed more important by the local population. However, there are also many voices in favor of preserving the Strait of Messina from an environmental perspective. The No Bridge movement has also called for the stretch of sea to be listed as a World Heritage Site .

Salvini's response

Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini responded directly to these criticisms in an interview with Corriere della Sera, stating that the Strait of Messina Bridge is the opposite, as a legislative project, of the Citizen's Income:

The League has always opposed welfare, the unproductive spending that condemned the South to live on subsidies and not on work. The Bridge, on the other hand, is a project that attracts investment and wealth, just as the Autostrada del Sole once did. The Bridge is the exact opposite of a citizen's income or the Cassa del Mezzogiorno.