As I joined the Italian Indignati protest last week, I got to experience first-hand how those in power manipulate media to suppress the voice of the people.

The longer I live in Italy, the more I’m astounded by the political mechanisms that drive this country led by Berlusconi. It’s hard to imagine how the people of Italy tolerate that their country has turned into a quasi-democracy, where corruption is the modus operandus.

Last week there was a big demonstration in Rome. One that tried to be a-political, apparently a unique event in Italy, since most protests are initiated out of self-interest; organized by Parties who want to gain power in elections by demonstrating against the current power. But this demonstration tried to not have hidden agenda’s, let by citizens, inspired by uprisings all over the world against corrupt policymakers. Of people who do not fly a liberal, socialist, or syndicalist flag, but who want an honest policy that cares about people instead of profit. It wasn’t just a copy of the “Occupy Wall Street” in the US, or the “indignados” in Spain, it was about specific Italian problems. Italy seems more and more to me a country that prefers beauty and charm over expertise. A country where a prime minister like Berlusconi would have been impeached for a long time ago if he hadn’t bribed parliamentarians to vote for him in the numerous votes of confidence. Where those in power can bend the laws to make themselves fit within ‘legal’ barriers again.

Let’s not call this demonstration a revolution, but a shout from the people that want things to change, who showed up with 200.000 people. Something that clearly scared those currently in power. Less than 300 came to show their dissatisfaction in a violent way, a group also known as “black bloc”. Ever since the protest; it’s all black block that’s been talked about.

Even a full week after, all the (mostly Berlusconi owned) mediachannels are STILL talking about it. Not about the mass of apolitical and peaceful demonstrators and their reasons to demonstrate (of course) but about those 300 rioters, who 200.000 people didn’t invite either.

It is rumoured the higher authorities purposefully let them do their thing, as the police knew black block would be there but did not get the order to stop them. These rumors have not at all been discussed in the media. Whether it is true or not, the black blockers did provide fuel to burry this gigantic protest in the media, so if it was the plan, mission accomplished I’d say.

The impact of this media manipulation became clear when I joined my Italian friend on a visit to her family in the countryside yesterday. The TV was on while we were eating, still talking about the riots. After one week of news reports of burning police cars, my friend’s family thought there had actually only been a big riot in Rome. They were shocked that we had been there, and we could barely manage to convince them it was a largely peaceful protest. If you have only one source of information, you will either take on the same opinion after a while, or you will look for alternatives of sources, something that is made difficult by the monopoly Berlusconi has on the media.

As my Italian friends made it clear to me, the people of Italy are blind, and Berlusconi has become their guidedog.

Not all people of Italy are obviously blind, proven by the massive turnout last week. But it is astonishing how fast this protest was smothered and covered up. and it is possible that many will not rise up again soon out of disappointment and the idea that whatever they will do, nothing is going to change.