Hundreds of thousands of women took to Italy's streets Sunday in protest against Silvio Berlusconi, as a key rival launched a scathing attack at the start of a crucial week for the embattled leader. "Enough!" shouted the tens of thousands who crowded into Piazza del Popolo, a square in central Rome, as protesters voiced their anger at the distorted image of Italian women generated by the prime minister's numerous sex scandals.
One organiser, actress Angela Finocchiaro, estimated the total number of people taking part - including many men and children - at one million across the country. In Naples, a sign held up during a march there read: "No Bunga Bunga!" - a reference to the alleged orgies held by the prime minister in his residences.
"We're here to say that Italian women are not all like Berlusconi's prostitutes. It's a horrible image that we're giving. We've become a joke in the rest of the world," said Maria Rosa Veritta, a protester in Milan.
There were also small protests in solidarity in Brussels, Lisbon and Tokyo, as well as in Lyon, Paris and Toulouse in France. Protesters in Brussels held up placards reading: "We are not for sale", "You have to leave now" and "100 percent Italian, 0 percent Berlusconian".
Organisers said the rallies were prompted by Berlusconi's alleged liaisons with prostitutes and lurid media coverage of the affairs, but also aimed to draw attention to wider problems for women's rights in Italian society. The women's protests were organised by sisters Francesca and Cristina Comencini, both actresses, who argue that Berlusconi's playboy antics and his sexist comments are only a reflection of the misogynism in Italian society.
"Neither right-wing governments, nor left-wing ones have ever done anything," Cristina Comencini said at the protest. She also criticised "discrimination in the job market due to a lack of day-nurseries, family helpers and part-time jobs."
Italy has one of the lowest birth rates in Europe at 1.4 children per family and only one woman in two works - compared to 59 percent in the European Union - despite women being, on average, better educated than men. The Italian leader's scandals have added to the resentment.
Berlusconi is fighting off allegations that he paid for sex with a 17-year-old prostitute nicknamed Ruby the Heartstealer, real name Karima El Mahroug and then used the power of his office to try and cover up the crime. Many have been offended in the way the Italian leader has defended himself. "I have never paid a woman," Berlusconi said in one interview last year.
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