THOUSANDS marched in the Sicilian city of Messina at the weekend to oppose Rome’s plans to build a bridge from the mainland.

The project, envisaging construction of the longest suspension bridge in the world across the Strait of Messina, has been debated for decades — and was first proposed millennia ago under the Roman empire.

But a government committee gave it the green light last week, with Transport Minister Matteo Salvini welcoming “the biggest infrastructure project in the West. ”People hold a banner during a demonstration against the bridge in Messina, Italy, August 9, 2025

Mr Salvini says the bridge to Sicily would create 120,000 jobs annually, drastically reduce travel time and stimulate economic growth in the south.

His Lega (League) party has been keen to promote its concern for the whole country, being the successor to the Lega Nord (Northern League), which at times took a separatist position, proposing that Italy’s richer north break away from the south.

But a crowd of over 10,000 people marched in Messina opposing the plans, behind banners reading "no bridge." Demonstrators chanted “the Strait of Messina can’t be touched.”

Objections include claims that the project it would increase the risk of earthquakes and pose a threat to migratory birds.

Others argue that every major infrastructure project in the region results in huge sums of public money being siphoned off by the mafia.

Mr Salvini said the government would prioritise excluding organised crime from the project.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's administration says the project could count towards the 5 per cent of GDP spent on defence that the US now demands of its European allies, since it could be a “strategic corridor for rapid troop movements” to protect Europe’s southern flank from unspecified threats.