There were of course two heavy reactions during the demonstration- one by Emilio Fede who slighted the demonstration in direct, and the other by the director of the major Italian news program RAI Tg1, Augusto Minzolini, who made an unprecedented primetime editorial attacking and disparaging the demonstration.

The RAI has been bombarded by protests against Minzolini. He has been criticized by the board of directors for his actions. The RAI reporters read a statement within the same time frame the day after, strongly dissociating themselves from Minzolini's attack. Minzolini has systematically censored news since Berlusconi appointed him and disciplinary action may be taken. However, it remains that the news is not being reported.

It has been said that 70% of the Italians get their news from the TV. As far as I'm concerned this is grave in itself, only worsened by the constant intromission of Berlusconi to hide or destroy fact.

Now today we have another fact which is being distorted and smeared. Berlusconi's company has been condemned in a civil court to pay damages for corruption in the Mondadori take-over for a total of 750 million euro. It is now being totted as a vast conspiracy to overthrow him, while the common logic of the ruling is entirely ignored. It's not even confuted. It's characterized as an assault on Berlusconi's sovereign right to govern.

This evening Berlusconi declared:

'Sono letteralmente allibito: e' una sentenza al di la' del bene e del male, e' certamente una enormita' giuridica'.

[...]

'Sappiano comunque tutti gli oppositori - aggiunge in una nota il premier - che il Governo portera' a termine la sua missione quinquennale e non c'e' nulla che potra' farci tradire il mandato che gli Italiani ci hanno conferito'.

"I'm literally dumbfounded. It's a sentence beyond good and evil, a judiciary monstrosity."

"However, let my opposers know that this government will carry to the end it's five-year mission and there is nothing that will make us betray the mandate the Italians have granted us."

Berlusconi will destroy whatever he possibly can to stay in power. Is there any other nation in Europe in which some of its best citizens choose voluntary exile out of sheer disgust for the political landscape in Italy?