Maurizio Landini

"Stefano Rodotà is a high-profile candidate who is well placed to represent the country at European and international level. Work and the rights that give it dignity, the value of citizenship and the foundations of the Constitution have always been an important part of his culture."

"The government must answer; we are the ones who pay taxes and work. The Prime Minister should say something instead of spouting bullshit slogans! They must apologise, because we pay taxes for them too. They must understand that this country exists thanks to the people who work."

"(About the Renzi government) Renzi must acknowledge that he does not have the support of honest people, workers and those seeking employment."

"The government [Renzi government] and Confindustria just want to turn work into a commodity, as it was in the 19th century."

"We are at risk of fascism in Italy and we have a government that considers the arrival of migrants to be the greatest threat, while more and more of our young people are forced to emigrate to find work."

"The historical, political and partisan reasons that led to the division between Italian trade unions no longer exist. Today, we can start a new process of unity between CGIL, CISL and UIL."

"It is unthinkable that someone in our country could unfurl a banner reading ‘Honour to Benito Mussolini’ without anyone intervening. There is collusion, connivance, the idea that things that go against our Constitution can be done with impunity."

"If you want to respect the Constitution, you must not close the ports, but rather the headquarters of Casapound and prevent groups that promote fascism from forming."

"The attack on the headquarters of the CGIL trade union is an act of fascist violence. It is a genuine attack on democracy and the entire world of work, which we intend to reject with force. No one should think of returning our country to the twenty years of fascism."

"We have no other tool than to ask people to take to the streets with us and fight [...] I believe that the time has come for a real social uprising because we cannot go on like this."

"We want to turn this country upside down, and to do so we need everyone's participation. For us, social revolt means that none of us should turn a blind eye to injustice. On the contrary, we must spread the idea that my problem is everyone's problem and that only by working together can we change this situation. It is a day of mobilisation the likes of which we have not seen in a long time. Today marks the beginning of a process of mobilisation to turn this country upside down [...] It seems clear to me that there has been an explicit attempt to undermine this right. Among other things, a decree is being debated in Parliament, known as the security decree, and we are calling for it to be withdrawn, as it seeks to make strikes, roadblocks and the occupation of factories when they close a criminal offence. It is clear that we are facing a serious attempt at an authoritarian turn that calls into question the freedom to exist and the freedom of individuals."

"(At 16) There was no more money, so I went to the factory to be a welder. My dream? Playing soccer."

"For me, Landini's ideas are a step backwards, a reactionary act and ultimately the evil of the left."

"Salvini and Landini, in very different ways, are two television phenomena. But if politics has no connection with reality and ceases to be part of everyday life, it produces characters who are nothing more than talk show props."