Eurotopics.net

Many citizens - 60,000 according to the police, 200,000 according to the organisers - took part in a huge demonstration against fascism in Rome on Saturday. The protests were called by the trade unions after right-wing extremists hijacked a demonstration against Italy's 3G rules (vaccinated, recovered or tested) a week earlier to attack the headquarters of the CGIL trade union. The people of Italy value their democracy, commentators conclude.

Brussels has offered to ease the customs controls that have been in place at the Irish Sea border since Brexit, saying it would waive those on goods explicitly destined for Northern Ireland, among other things. Britain's Brexit Minister David Frost had called for renegotiation of the Northern Ireland Protocol and threatened to suspend it entirely. Commentators advise Brussels to adopt a clear stance.

The man suspected of killing five people with a bow and arrow in Kongsberg, Norway, has confessed to the crime. Police said they had long been keeping an eye on him over fears that he might become radicalised after converting to Islam. Europe's press focuses on how democracies can best protect themselves against such attacks.

Rising energy prices coupled with the need to reduce emissions are shifting the focus back to nuclear power - and not just in France. Europe's commentators discuss whether nuclear power plants can be seen as a sustainable option under the current circumstances.