Italy's left-wing opposition began an indefinite filibustering of parliament today to vent their fury at Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for ramming through a law that saves one of his television channels.
Late into the evening, parliamentarians still queued up to have their say more than 24 hours after Mr Berlusconi's government sped through a decree that prevents the transfer of the Rete 4 terrestrial channel onto satellite broadcasts which would cut its revenues.
The decree, which also saved one state-TV channel from losing its right to sell commercial space, raced through parliament on the back of a government confidence vote.
The win-or-die vote, which Mr Berlusconi's government has never failed to win because of its hefty majority, automatically wrenches away the opposition's usual right to debate.
So the usually splintered left decided to take up arms in another way - to block parliament work in order to stall the final vote on the decree that turns it into law.
"The opposition, all together, are waging a battle for freedom," Mr Luciano Violante, head of the Democrats of the Left, said.
He added that about 200 deputies had signed up to speak - on some 160 topics dumped at parliament at 5 a.m.