Italy's first 'atheist bus' got moving Monday but had to head straight back to the depot because of a power fault.After repairs the bus started out on its route again and is set to spread its message around the northwestern Italian city for the next month.
''By pure chance,'' a member of the Italian atheists association said wryly, ''the vehicle left the depot bright and early but had to go straight back because of a 'curious' problem with the batteries''.
The Italian Union of Atheists, Agnostics and Rationalists (UAAR) saw their first bus ad rejected after religious protests but succeeded in getting an OK for a toned-down No God message.
The original message, canned after protests from Catholics and Muslims, was The Bad News Is God Doesn't Exist, The Good News Is You Don't Need Him.
The new message is: The Good News Is There Are Millions of Atheists In Italy; The Excellent News Is They Believe In Freedom Of Expression.
UAAR Treasurer Isabella Cazzoli said the association was ''optimistic'' about getting the original message out in other Italian cities. ''We're at an advanced state of negotiation with other cities but after what happened in Genoa we don't want to say which,'' she said.
A Facebook group in favour of the UAAR's drive has drawn thousands of supporters.
The Italian campaign follows similar ads in London, Barcelona and Washington where the slogan was: ''There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life''.
The UAAR, which has 4,000 members across Italy, was out in force in Genoa's main square, Piazza De Ferrari, on Monday to explain the purpose of the initiative.
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(Source: ANSA)